Opinion / Columnist
'Nathaniel Manheru, Iam a witness of Gukurawundi (Red berrets)'
04 Jan 2015 at 12:05hrs | Views
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10:50, 4 Jan - +27 7* *** ****: Hi Sir/Madam,compliments of the NewYear, please hide my details,
I've been reading from Bulawayo24News about what Nathaniel Manheru or George Charamba as he said Gukurawundi killings didn't exist, he's completely out of order, Iam the witness of Gukurawundi (Red berrets)
They stormed our school Mahole primary School under Chief Mswigana in Tsholotsho February 1983, I was doing grade 3 by then.
Three helicopters landed in our school grounds & lots & lots of army Landrovers as well as Pumas were all over our Mahole School, Teachers were summoned to school grounds & I don't know what happened there but our teachers came back with sad & terrified faces telling us to go home as there is no more schooling as from that particular day, our teacher's lips were dry & white because of fear, I am pretty sure some were already beaten out of our sight, we proceeded home & found our parents trimbling with fear as they had already got the message from Maduna line in Tsholotsho were most of the killing started, following day a Spotter aeroplane flew above our mud homes announcing curfew, school closures & buses closures, spotter plane said we are surrounded by police & soldiers, from 18h00 to 06h00 morning no-one is allowed to move as the soldiers are going to shoot whatever moves, from that day we use to come across women & children running away from Maduna Line begging water to drink whenever our parents ask them what's wrong, they said are you still asking? something big & ugly unexplainable is on its way.
My village is next to Dlamini centre & there was a camp there, Gukurawundi Soldiers were everywhere, AK47 was wailing day in day out, one day our parents were collected early in the morning summoned to handei kuChibhorani, people were beaten by huge tree logs as they said MaNdeere anenharo stereki, scary beatings continued whole day as well as the singing of a song called abantu ribaone abantu bese, Girls & mothers were raped right there & a shallow grave was dug & two grandfathers were ordered to kill each other using pickhandle, & they did kill one another & last one to die was killed by his younger brother under orders of Gukurawundi monsters, they were buried while still breathing as they were spitting soil while burying continued under orders of Nathaniel Manheru's brothers or fathers, even today if you can proceed to village called Somlotha you find that grave with grandfathers buried in one grave, go there right now & see yourself what Iam talking about.
In Dlamini business centre people were brought as far aSalaNkomo, Korodziba, Pelandaba, Gwande, Bhonkwe, Sihazela, Damu loCingo etc getting shot in front of School kids in Mbuhulu primary School,so this George Charamba must stop rubbing salt in our bleeding wounds, whatever I said above I saw it with my own eyes & I can continue up to where my mother took us & we trekked all the way to Plumtree (Ntoli) to get transport to Bulawayo as whole Tsholotsho was neutralised in terms of everything including transport.
It took us many many days to reach our destination as my mother was heavily pregnant, manheru Charamba whatever you name is, stop your poisonous attitude, Iam hurting & need a serious counselling from what I saw as I was 10 years old kid. I was emotional & mental badly affected about what I saw & its still fresh in my mind like it happened yesterday, I can tell word by word what happened up to end of Gukurawundi in my area.
- To be continued
10:50, 4 Jan - +27 7* *** ****: Hi Sir/Madam,compliments of the NewYear, please hide my details,
I've been reading from Bulawayo24News about what Nathaniel Manheru or George Charamba as he said Gukurawundi killings didn't exist, he's completely out of order, Iam the witness of Gukurawundi (Red berrets)
They stormed our school Mahole primary School under Chief Mswigana in Tsholotsho February 1983, I was doing grade 3 by then.
Three helicopters landed in our school grounds & lots & lots of army Landrovers as well as Pumas were all over our Mahole School, Teachers were summoned to school grounds & I don't know what happened there but our teachers came back with sad & terrified faces telling us to go home as there is no more schooling as from that particular day, our teacher's lips were dry & white because of fear, I am pretty sure some were already beaten out of our sight, we proceeded home & found our parents trimbling with fear as they had already got the message from Maduna line in Tsholotsho were most of the killing started, following day a Spotter aeroplane flew above our mud homes announcing curfew, school closures & buses closures, spotter plane said we are surrounded by police & soldiers, from 18h00 to 06h00 morning no-one is allowed to move as the soldiers are going to shoot whatever moves, from that day we use to come across women & children running away from Maduna Line begging water to drink whenever our parents ask them what's wrong, they said are you still asking? something big & ugly unexplainable is on its way.
In Dlamini business centre people were brought as far aSalaNkomo, Korodziba, Pelandaba, Gwande, Bhonkwe, Sihazela, Damu loCingo etc getting shot in front of School kids in Mbuhulu primary School,so this George Charamba must stop rubbing salt in our bleeding wounds, whatever I said above I saw it with my own eyes & I can continue up to where my mother took us & we trekked all the way to Plumtree (Ntoli) to get transport to Bulawayo as whole Tsholotsho was neutralised in terms of everything including transport.
It took us many many days to reach our destination as my mother was heavily pregnant, manheru Charamba whatever you name is, stop your poisonous attitude, Iam hurting & need a serious counselling from what I saw as I was 10 years old kid. I was emotional & mental badly affected about what I saw & its still fresh in my mind like it happened yesterday, I can tell word by word what happened up to end of Gukurawundi in my area.
- To be continued
Source - Byo24News via WhatsApp
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