Ex-Zipra combatants angered by army magazine

EX-ZIPRA combatants have been angered by a claim in the Zimbabwe National Army magazine's first edition of 2014 that the then Salisbury fuel tanks were blown up by Zanla forces in December 1978.

Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith described the blaze at the fuel tanks as a great disaster and "one of our biggest setbacks since the war started".

The fire raged out of control and was only contained when a Johannesburg City Fire Department fire engine was flown in to help spray protein foam imported from South Africa.

An article authored by Colonel Charles Matema titled: The Demise of the Rhodesian Economy on Page 37 of the magazine carried a picture captioned: 15-16 burning petrol storage tanks in Salisbury's industrial area after a Zanla attack in December 1978 . . .

However, the claim angered ex-Zipra cadrés who told Southern Eye that it was false and misleading because that attack was not carried out by Zanla forces. Former Zipra combatant Zephaniah Nkomo attacked the article as misleading saying it was part of a deliberate ploy by Zanu PF to systematically erase the critical role Zapu and its military wing played in the liberation of Zimbabwe.

Nkomo said it was Zipra forces that attacked the tanks with Russia-made weapons and not Zanla as the article claims.

Nkomo said Zanla did not have sophisticated weapons and neither did it have urban units and was assisted logistically by Zipra through an arrangement with the then Organisation of African Union (OAU).

"The article is meant to misinform the youths of today and totally erase the pivotal role Zipra played in the liberation of this country," he said.

"The weapons that were used came from Russia and the Russians can confirm that. It was Zipra which had contact with the Russians and not Zanla.

"We as Zipra, are the ones who blew up the fuel storage tanks and Highfield residents who were old enough then can testify to that. In the attack, we lost one of our colleagues who was caught and necklaced to death with burning tyres by the Rhodesians. Zanla did not have sophisticated weapons as such weapons were not available in China at that time. Zanla used to get logistical support from us through the Patriotic Front, an arrangement that was made with OAU," Nkomo added.

Retired Brigadier Abel Mazinyani said it is wrong to try and change history since those who executed the attacks are still alive.  

Mazinyani said two of the ex-Zipra cadrés who executed the operation are still alive. One lives in Centenary and the other in Kadoma. He said the third one was in South Africa. Mazinyani said although Zanla had its notable victories, the fuel tanks were destroyed by Zipra and no amount of misleading information would change that.

Retired Colonel Marshal Mpofu said it was wrong for Zimbabwean to be told lies all the time about the history of the liberation struggle.

"Zanla did not have an urban unit and only special weaponry could have been used to destroy those tanks. Only Zipra had them," he said.

Another retired Colonel, Buster Magwizi, said it was sad for people to continue being given false information about the history of the armed struggle. He said this was tantamount to giving people a distorted heritage.

Magwizi said people should research before writing what they would have heard, adding that ex-Zanla members were in the habit of claiming victories they knew nothing about.

"People can get the true information in The Herald publication of December 2 1978," he said. "After all Zanla and its Zanu won on the table not on the ground."



Another ex-Zipra combatant said the day the tanks were blown up, Zapu leader Joshua Nkomo was supposed to return from London to Lusaka, Zambia. He said the Rhodesians had planned to hijack the plane and capture Nkomo, but an informant had tipped off the late veteran nationalist who got off the plane before take-off.

He said when the plane was in Nairobi, Kenya, it was announced that it was foggy in Lusaka and the plane would not be able to land and it was diverted to Malawi where it landed. He said as soon as the plane landed, the Rhodesians stormed it hoping to capture Nkomo, but in vain.

Zapu leader and former Zipra intelligence supremo Dumiso Dabengwa said Zanla made many false claims about victories in battles they knew nothing about for purposes of publicity. Dabengwa said it was part of Zanla's tactics to claim victories in battles they did not fight.

"Publishing such information is not new as Zanla claimed victories in battles that were never fought for the sack of publicity," he said. "They want to deny any Zipra participation or contribution in the liberation struggle. They continue to minimise any achievements by Zipra."

Dabengwa said the distortion of information by ex-Zanla members was not a new thing as it was part of a Zanu PF grand plan to destroy the contributions of the Ndebele people.