Letter To Dr Churchill Guduza: The Deputy of MLF in Relation Mafela Trust and Zipra.

This letter is fundermentally to oppose the views expressed in a news article published in your news platform Bulawayo 24.

Without having to be specific on the dates it was published, the article caught my attention although I am not a contributor in your news platform, but I would like to reflect a bit on the period gone by that is in particular being talked about by Dr Churchill Guduza.

He currently as I understand it, has a new platform in which he says what amuses him; that is the Matebeleland Liberation Front or Mthwakazi theorist platform.

I am sure without prejudice when he represents his so called MLF, that he expresses his strongest views of a tribal inclination more powerfully than those of Zanu/Zapu.

His organisation that does not represent Zimbabwe but a purported non existent state in his mind, of cause, without a say he in his intonation; one can read between the lines that he openly declares tribal politics. It is such people who are dangerous and as they were thirty years ago.

I am not wanting to dwell more on his Liberation credentials as they non and they mean nothing to me. I saw in his article in which he in the strongest terms condemns the Mafela Trust. By the way I am either member of Mafela Trust but what concerns me is the history credentials of this Dr Churchill Guduza.

There are many civilians and parents, chose what you want to call them who never crossed the borders of our country but suffered in war than Dr Guduza. Instead Guduza was concerned with dictates of what the commanders of Zipra and it's High Command element were supposed to do.

Firstly, in any Army one does not negotiation  his own role,  you join you are ordered and told what to do. If you connive with others, to do anything outside the military norms, as I do know,  you be assured that it is called mutiny. Would Dr Guduza admit that he was one of the mutineers who shot  Alfred Nikita Mangena.

If not what amount of offence would he have committed to run all the way to Angola unless he had been a Selous Scout sent by the Rhodesian Army to cause more confusion in Zipra camps. He would not have run to Angola for what and to see who in Angola. If he saw all the problems in Zipra and had intended to run away from and  why would he write like he was a  hero.

Is he not the biggest of the Selous Scouts we used to call "Gumbo" and "Walter" as his attitudes of that time don't seem to be commensurate with the role played by others during the struggle. Others went to Zimbabwe to fight but he went to Angola. He seems to quote an incident near Choma in central Zambia and I wonder if he only heard or has the knowledge of what he were being told of. It is not a justification that a story told to him when he were in a training Camp, then he wants to place it; as record of occurrence.

I am not a learned person who can argue academically, but I also understand things from invents that I would refer  too vividly. I am one of those who were at FC Camp, and want to be fair to those comrades who lay dead in that farm that now has a memorial within its acres. It is known that the camp was bombed but the circumstances were not only for Zipra, as well as other organisation like Zanla. It was not unique  to Zipra alone.

The most important  thing is to express his own views correctly and precisely. His experience is his own alone since he says he went hundreds of kilometers to Angola presumably to foster more confusion with the hope of becoming a leader just as he has become, at that time he was impatient to grab leadership. How on earth would he truly in the name of unknown command element did he think Angola was the answer.

I will make a suggestion for him, had it been me for what  ever reasons; were it necessary to running away. Truly I would have landed in Botswana if not Rhodesian soil in which they were guerrillas he could have joined. He seems to suggest he had been trained, and if trained what was the safety of Angola for. Back to his assession that Zipra High Command did not know what they were doing.

He Dr Guduza would have been in the high command to know that. Not the gossip in the sheds of trees at FC camp that is before  it was bombarded. There are so many issues he seems to be confusing with Zipra and Zapu. However, I will be spoilt for choice which one to tackle  first. Firstly, I am  not sure what  Josiah Ndlovu said, but to castigate Ndlovu for what ever views he expressed then you get angry to insult others will put him on the spot. He mention Zipra as if he had inside information about the organisation. Now in direct address to him as the Deputy of an organisation he claims represents views of many of his tribal inclination.

Dr Guduza doesn't seize to amaze me on his thinking  capacity on the sketchy  information he seems to have about Zipra. If there was no food in Zipra camps whether for days months and how is it compared to Gugurahunde? In this article he wrote in response to J Ndlovu about addressing the faults of Zipra High Command since Mafela Trust seems to have been what he opposes due to General Lookout Masuku's name which bares his name.

  I fail to understand  why if he were educated he attaches importance in autobiography of himself than historical issues that bond his existence as they contain master pieces of his contribution as a so called battle-hardened guerrilla as he claims. Why did Guduza not form his own Trust that would deal with issues that Mafela trust stands for.

 The problem  with him is that of greed and trying to change the facts and course of history.  Now that he found himself as a deputy of a tribalistic outfit,  His  education is getting into his  head and he dreams of control and envy to have been then 37 years ago.  Let's be open without insulting him and his intelligence, if his organisation has the mandate of the people of Zimbabwe, oh! Boy,  by the way he and others in his organisation are not the Zimbabwe that was fought for.

Then the mandate I ask him for, is who said there was Mthwakazi as a country.  His research has taken you to London is it? Don't divide the people of Zimbabwe from London. I don't even know what it means so, don't impose it on the people of Zimbabwe. Secondly, and truly if he were an ex combatant and had knowledge of this so called Zimbabwe project, which he claims and furthermore, he  suggest Alfred Nikita Mangena was Killed for .

Then can I assure him that his PHD "ngeyamapepha" and it is meaningless. It's allowed unless he start stepping on other people's toes. Alfred Nikita Mangena and Assaf were Killed by the Rhodesians. It's not guess work. You are doing a bad job, but the same very people who were commanders are all alive less a hand full. I will tell him by name who has departed to  heaven's  and beyond non alive have been.

Alfred Nikita Mangena,  Cele, Sam Moyo,  Tshangane (Maj General Maseko, ex Governor, Lt. General Lookout Masuku, Brigadier General Mike Raynolds ( Gray). Then those still alive are Dhubu Brigadier Nleya, I mentioned him first as you claim he knows you.  Brigadier  Ambrose Muthiniri, Stanley Gagisa Nleya, Brigadier Mazinyani, Embassy Dube( Colonel Dube), Ananias Gwendzi(Lt.  General, Philip Sibanda),  the current Zimbabwe National Army commander. If he was confused why is it that he has been in the helm for so many years, he must be joking. Richard Mataure, Conary, is a university lecturer and others.

Of course, I want to mention all  of them but the three his blame game lay on are, General Lookout Masuku(Mafela) and Tshangane the late  Major General  Javan Maseko, and former Governor. Others are lecturers in the UK and elsewhere. Lastly Mr Cele. Even though they don't account for Guduza's folly stories. I want him to understand that he were never at any one time been near Mangena, or any of those he calls and  terms Zipra High Command; unless he were sent to kill him of cause, as some nearly did.

It would be wise to learn but it shows that all his years, from the time he joined the struggle he  was only "umapelekezela" searching for opportunities as he has now. I now see "Phelekezela" Mphoko's (U Report)name befitting you. Guduza's political narrative is so shallow I always wonder how he convinces others  of the likes of him, that he be a leader of an organisation. Fundamentally, Matebeleland is composed of many tribes, The Nguni, the Xosa Mafengu,, Kalanga, Venda, Majawunda, Tonga, Nambia, Suthu, and Batswana at Tshitshi,Mpoengs and Brunaberg.

No matter how small they should be counted as they equally contributed in the Zimbabwe war. Guduza, did he say the mandate from these people  was given to turn the country into his "Mtkwakazi" It's a shame how he castigates those that fought as uneducated, is it because he gained his PHD late in life and he started to hallucinate, with thoughts that every body was uneducated. If the measure of education was by paper, surely he would be the least said to be termed educated.

Even Baboons can also be educated, if they are put in an urban environment to survive, so education in the case of Zipra historical achievements can only be accounted by those who physically participated and they will. Not on the dictates of Dr Guduza's  whelms, but as record of their contribution is called for. Like I said I am either historian or Zipra record keeper, but I am spiteful of those who always share their tribal sentiment as an important part of a nation. What do you assume Kalangas and Vendas would say about his zeal  to introduce tribal Imposition when they are the owners of the place.

Does he  remember that in his article he suggested that each tribe no matter how small has the right to carryout their determination as they wished, and this is in the eyes of God.  However, the Nguni's must admit also that they may have ruled  Matebeleland but that does not give them the God  given power, after they were coup-d'etated  by the whites and colonialists, whose record of his research seems to inspire his zeal as if it was important.  

The Portuguese, ruled their overseas territories for 500 years, and that goes for the Boers in South Africa; but that was reversed to the real ownership by blacks now. What is important for Dr Guduza,  is that there many people who have the knowledge of the  goings in Zipra and Zapu. He should not start to blame others, and he is not the only one who was in the struggle. Did he want to remain under Rhodesian rule. Some of us know what it was to earn $2.5o a week. Worse off not even to be allowed to be in town after 6.00 pm.

Ian Smith and his Generals had a headache about the existence of Zipra and it's strong organised command structures including the personnel in which Dr Guduza was part? Unless otherwise. Therefore his narrative is bankrupt to say the least, if he had something to contribute, it would be wise if he said Zimbabwe; rather than his tribal inclination based on the false state of existence. This does not mean a thing as he will say it far away from those he intends to convince .

It would have been better of if he sung the song that says Zimbabwe.  He must understand that Joshua M. Nkomo was not fighting for Mthwakazi but Zimbabwe. When Guduza joined Zipra he did not find anyone talking about Shona, Ndebele, Kalanga or Venda. So where does he get this theory of Shona project. He is the most tribalist person I have ever heard of. He is fuelling the Hitlerism in our society and we don't need that at the moment. Mugabe has already done enough damage since 1980. That is what we should address all of us.

Lastly I daresay had, Alfred Nikita Mangena been alive, Guduza's disconcerting  doubts and snarling at others like a dog  would  have made him turn like a dead man in a grave just as he is.  His narrative that it was fortunate that Zipra and Zapu did not come to power is only a empty criticism designed to make his position relevant in society, Gumbo of Zanu was also in a Mugabe pit but he came back home and contributed to Zimbabwe, otherwise people must ignore Guduza's existence as PHD who is a publicly horrible  despot.

He equally is not any different from those who impose ideas copied from others. One day a few years ago a comrade I know, who I will not say by name pulled me from a crowd in a party and took me behind  his Mercedes Benz and said, "There are boys with PHD's who have written a Mthwakazi constitution and have drawn a map". He drew a file from his boot and handed it to over me. On looking at it was full of photo copied materials.

As I was perusing through I noticed a similar  Freedom Charter like the one Doctor Guduza is peddling in the media and addressing meaningless crowds of other tribalist and other would be scholars. The point I am trying to make is that they are a group of mindless individuals who did not get the mandatory authority from the people of Zimbabwe to do so. If they want to do their Mthwakazi let them carry out a conversation with the people of Zimbabwe, which ever region they want to convince then carry out an informed campaigns that will make the peoples of that region support them.

It has happened in South Sudan and others, but he should not give us wrong false information at the back of blaming Zipra to enhance his own ability of nothing, about the  Zimbabwe Project and the Shona project what ever it means. Furthermore, let Guduza not base his idea of a state from his London records of 1893 because they are neither correct or anything that is informative  to us and those who identify themselves as Kalanga, Venda and Suthu just to mention a few.

What does "Mthwakazi mean"? My interpretation according to those who, it is a description of a bushman "Abathwa" a group of people in the west of the country and Botswana. "Mthwa" is singular. Therefore Mthwakazi should imply a female bushman. I could be surprised if the name derives in Nguni.