Zipra forces refused to rebel against Joshua Nkomo

THE Zipra command declined suggestions by Mozambican President Samora Machel to rebel against their commander-in-chief Dr Joshua Nkomo and take over the leadership of Zapu after Independence, former Zipra intelligence supremo Dumiso Dabengwa has revealed.

Dr Dabengwa, speaking at a memorial for Zipra commander Lookout Masuku in Bulawayo recently, said during the days of the Zimbabwe people's Army, (ZIPA), a joint military operation between Zipra and Zanla forces during the liberation war, Machel had suggested that the combatants forget about their leaders.

Dr Dabengwa said, the Zipra commanders led by the late Alfred Nikita Mangena declined Machel's suggestions arguing that such an act was against the Zapu ideology.

"Machel was saying look at me, when (Eduardo)  Mondlane was there, I was an ordinary soldier, I worked my way up and got promoted to be army commander and after Mondlane died I took over as a soldier and look now I am the President of Mozambique, there is no politician to tell me what to do," said Dabengwa quoting Machel.

"I want you to do the same thing in Zimbabwe. Forget about Nkomo, forget about Mugabe, go and enter home, fight it out and once there is victory you are the ones who are going to be leaders."

Instead, Dr Dabengwa narrated, "Mangena   said no ways that is not the ideology of Zapu.

We were sent out by the people at home in Zimbabwe, this leadership that we have is the one that sent us for training, they gave us weapons and now you want us to take those weapons, fight and declare ourselves the leaders of the country after Independence, no thank you that is not the way we were brought up in Zipra.

"Our leaders are still there but none the less we will go and fight and do the best we can and give our reports to our leaders and at the end of the day when victory is certain obviously the leadership will take over the running of the country," narrated Dr Dabengwa.

"We didn't go and train in order to usurp our position as military men to take over the leadership of the country, it is the people of Zimbabwe who decide who their leaders are.

It was because of this stance that they found themselves having problems in Mozambique until Mangena decided to withdraw all his units and returned to Zambia."