'Ndabaningi Sithole was a sellout' - Ex-Zanla

Sellouts such as the late Ndabaningi Sit√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠hole and Wilfred Mhanda have been in existence since the liberation struggle and there is nothing surprising to see "puppets" trying to reverse the gains of independ√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠ence, veterans of the Second Chimurenga have said. The veterans who spearheaded the lib√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠eration war from the early 1970s said they were pained to hear "some misguided peo√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠ple" trying to degrade the struggle, adding that Government should put more empha√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠sis on educating people, especially the youths, about how the country attained its independence.
The veterans, however, said the sellouts should know that just as they were defeated during the liberation struggle, they will also be defeated during the on-going Third Chimurenga. In separate interviews with The Sunday Mail last week, the veterans said the late Sithole, who was the Zanu leader at that time, sold out the struggle when he entered into a secret agreement with the Smith regime around 1974 and 1975 that he would order his fighters to stop the libera√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠tion war.
Stephanie Ndlovu Mukusha, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Tendiee, said Sithole showed that he had sold out the struggle following an incident in Zambia around 1974/75 where about 11 Zanla comrades had been gunned down by the Zambian regiment after skirmishes between Zanu and Zapu. "That was the time that Sithole akarambwa nevanhu. Sithole was told about the death of these comrades. He went to Kabwe, where the bodies had been taken. He was our president (president of Zanu) at that time.
"He came but we heard that he also wanted us kuti tiwirirane, titaurirane naSmith kuti hondo ngaichimira. This was the time of d√É∆í√Ǭ©tente (when most Zanla commanders had been arrested following the death of Cde Chitepo). Sithole told Smith that he could order his fighters to stop the war. At that time, pakanga pasisina reinforcements, no material to the war front. There was completely nothing because of d√É∆í√Ǭ©tente. "So Sithole thought that because of that situation, he could order the Zanla fighters to stop the war although when he was in jail, chairman Chitepo was in charge of the war operations.
"Ndabaningi Sithole was never involved in the struggle directly. He just got involved when he was released akabva auya kuLusaka after promising Smith that he would order Zanla to stop the war as he was the president. "So asvika kuZambia, he was told about the 11 comrades who had been shot. He went to the mortuary, just pulled the trays where the bodies were and after seeing the tags confirming that they indeed were Zimbabweans, he just said okay, I will look into this when I come back. Ndiri kumhanyira kuAmerica kune mwana wangu ari kurwara neflu nemusoro. He ran away from the whole crisis," said Tendie.
She said this led to the Mgagao docu√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠ment written by top Zanu commanders that ousted Sithole as leader of the party. She went on to say that she was not sur√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠prised that Wilfred Mhanda, also known as Cde Dzino, had abandoned the struggle because "haana kupanduka muno. Aka√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠gara akadaro. "Dzino haana kupandukira muno. Aka√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠panduka tichiri kuhondo . . . Takazopedza hondo asisinesu. (Dzino did not turn against the struggle in independent Zim√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠babwe. He did so during the liberation war. We didn't finish the struggle with him.) It's not a surprise at all. He has been like that.
"Vatengesi ava havasi vekutanga. Variko wani vanaNyathi. He sold out leading to the massacre of innocent people at Nyad­zonia. Nyathi was one of us,he was black, but he sold out.
"Hapashayi these retrogressive forces. Even in the books of Lenin and Mao, we were told that there will be these sellouts that will be used by the people you will have fought and conquered. We see that in our politics today, but we are not surprised at all."
Ester Munyaradzi, whose Chimurenga name was Cde Steria, con√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠curred with Cde Tendie that Sithole sold out, adding that Dzino was expelled from the party before independence. "Vana Mhanda vari kungoenderera mberi nezvavakatanga muhondo," she said.
Dingani Masuku, whose Chimurenga name was Vhuu, said: "Hapana chi√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠noshamisa about masellouts atiri kuona mazuva ano. Sithole akatitengesa kuvarungu. "Takangogara tinazvo zviri kuitika izvi. (There is nothing surprising about sellouts. Sit√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠hole sold out to the whites. These things have always been there)."
Tobias Muzemba, who went to the struggle in 1972 and operated as Muc√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠hazvipedza, also said Sithole sold out the strug√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠gle, adding that there were people like Thomas Nhari and Dakarai Badza who added them√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠selves to the list of sellouts. "I was arrested by Badza and Nhari and they fed us nemusoro wemombe wakaora for months. These sellouts have always been there and they continue today. We see puppets eat√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠ing with the people we fought against.
"Hongu takarwa hondo tikakunda, but munhu nhasi ava kurwisa mari. Mari ndiyo iri kukonzera dambudziko rekutengesa. Zvinhu izvozvo zviri kutirwadza, macomrades. "Ini ndakaenda kuhondo 1972. Kune umwe akaenda kuBritain in 1972 akad√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠zoka izvozvi ava nedegree. Munhu iyeye ndiye ave muoffice uye achitengesa nyika.
Zvinotirwadza isu macomrades. Even former Rhodesia head of CIO Ken Flower in his book entitled "Serving Secretly" revealed that they recruited Nhari and Badza to be sellouts. He said they even recruited one Reverend Arthur Kanodereka, who acted as their spy, but they went on to kill him after using him.
Said Nelson Changata, who was known as Cde Shungu: "Nguva yahondo vamwe vait√É‚Äö√Ǭ≠engesa nenyaya yetumabeef nehembe. Tiri kuona izvi mazuva ano zvakare. "Vanhu ngavazive kuti nyika ino haina kuuya nepenzura, yakauya neropa. Saka vanhu ngavachengetedze nhaka yavo."