Petty tyrannies

In 1978, my school won the Sipolilo Choir Competition. The competition was held almost twenty kilometres away from our home.

We were very excited on the journey home, but our joy was short-lived. When we were arrived at the school with the trophy, we found the school surrounded by Ian Smith’s Rhodesian army.

We were all forced in our rural council hall for screening. All the pupils found with marks on their shoulders or those who seemed to be big enough to fight taken for questioning and beating. The assumption was that some of the students were already part of the liberation army, and with enough torture, information could be extracted from them.

We witnessed many such incidents in the following weeks and months. Our people were politicised by the so called liberators, the school was closed and burnt down. Bases were organised and propaganda was preached in these gatherings. Buildings were destroyed in most growth points.

One Friday afternoon, an armed robbery was done at a place called Mudariki Pass and more than three businesses were robbed of their cash. The robbery was done by the liberation soldiers.

The soldiers showed up to intervene, but the liberation army must have known they were because they were very well prepared for them. My sister was killed in the cross-fire. She was in secondary school. Watching her die, I vowed to avenge her one day.

All of us who witnessed the ambush we were taken to forced labour camp for about three months. The food was bad. We were given a tin of beans and thick porridge only at supper.

Life became very difficult in the rural areas and around commercial farms. The battle was at hand.

Many armoured forces were in our area, Zanla forces, Zipra forces, R.A.R for Smith, Pfumo Revanhu for Muzorewa (Bishop). Zanla forces were the most feared and respected army under the leadership of Robert Mogabe. They were full of politics and people were taught propaganda in bases against Smith, Zipras and Pfumo Revanhu forces.

People started hurting whites and their descendants and everyone focused their minds on supporting the Zanla forces in Mozambique. I wanted to join the liberation struggle, because only children under 10 years were spared by both armies. But I had to wait, and it was only when I was fourteen that I would eventually begin operating as a war collaborator.