If you know, you know

By Margaret Kamba

I have always asked myself why a lot of the gallant sons and daughters of Zimbabwe, who went to fight for the freedom we enjoy today, do not write about their experiences during the liberation struggle.

And when I ask some of them, there is always that answer that, it brings bitter and painful memories about the war.

For many of us who were never part of the liberation struggle, it is so easy to say to them, you need to collate all these things for the sake of those who are coming. Yes that is important I must say because the enemy has documented all of these things from his point of view whilst we haven’t. This somehow gives the enemy an added advantage to peddle whatever lies he wants us to believe and righting those wrongs, will be an uphill task.

However I do understand these men and women who are terrified to re-live the sleepless nights under the sound of gunfire. I do understand these men and women who fear dodging the bullets once again as they narrowly escaped the Nyadzonia attack among many others.

I do understand these boys and girls who had to spend days without eating because the trucks had not yet arrived at the camps.

I do understand these boys and girls who for years never knew what their families back home were going through following their sudden disappearance to go to war.

They are painful memories of men and women and these cannot just vanish overnight even now 40 plus years later.

This week in my chat with some female and male comrades, I came to the conclusion that many of them are still dealing with wounds that we cannot see. However they are way better than us in dealing with all the trauma, because they have held their calm and peace even to the extent of opening their arms wide open to the men who would have had their heads served on a platter.

One Comrade once narrated how only the clothes on her back were what she left with.

“When I went to join other gallant sons and daughters of Zimbabwe to fight for our freedom, I just had the clothes on my back and had no idea what I would wear or eat when I got there,” she said.

” We managed to change clothes when the baled clothes from countries like Sweden came. If for instance you failed to find a pair of shoes but only the left shoe, you had to get a right shoe even of a different shoe, as long as it fit so that you would be able to walk around.”

She added that when it rained, in places where there was no shelter, you had to cuddle together under whatever tree cover until the rain stopped.

“Today, you can simply run into a building to hide from the rain, but back then, it was not the same. I dont even know how we survived back then but we did.”

Cde Bella Tichatonga recalled the time that it was discovered that she had diabetes. Her fate was unknown and had it not been that visit by Dr Herbert Ushewokunze, only God knows what would have happened.

“Noone knew what diabetes was back then. I had become very sick and was failing to eat. I was even becoming blind. Dr Ushewokunze had come to the camp and was going around. He was on his way to Maputo to receive medication for the war,” Cde Tichatonga said.

“He asked what was wrong with me and the commander asked him to look at me. Since I could not see, I heard his voice and called him by his name as I knew him from Bulawayo meetings which he attended with my father who was his friend.

“Upon asking me who I was and getting the answer he could not leave me. After checking me, he told them I had diabetic symptoms and would ferry me to Maputo for better care.”

She narrated how with the help of Russian doctors and others stationed in Mozambique she managed to get the cataracts removed and follow a strict diet and exercise.”

Cde Dumisani Mhlophe whose liberation name was Cde Bara Muhondo narrated his war experience.

” I went when I was 14 and if you look at that these days I would have been form 2. The unity we had then was amazing. It was not monetary but that we were there for one purpose. It was hard not knowing where each one of us would be and you had to dodge bullets in order to make sure you carried the corpse of your brother or sister. And then the aftermath of having to come back and having to be in the same force as your erstwhile enemy. But we are doing it because we want to build our country,” Cde Bara Muhondo said.

“We don’t write about our experiences because they bring painful memories. We don’t even know how we survived then. But here we are still holding the tide and watch our fellow Comrades die daily.”

These and other comrades came back but many others still lie in disused mines, gulleys and many other places waiting to receive proper burials among their own families if not comrades.

If their own will not find them, then strangers will bring them home for their befitting burials. If you know, you know.

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