NOTE: The below author is ZANU PF’s former Head Of Security (Mash Central).

*The Freedom Fighters Woes Date Back to the Liberation Struggle*

By Cde Batsirai Musona| The liberation struggle was waged by four 4 distinct groups comprising 1). The Nationalists, 2). The Guerrillas, 3). The Mujibha and Chimbwido and 4). The Mass or Povo and any other well wishers and supporters. Each group had a role to play in their respective fields of operation.

The nationalists were a group of relatively adult and mature people with average ages of between 25 and 55 years in terms of their societal life experiences. This group comprised of fairly educated people who would use their exposure and life experiences to confront the oppressive settler regime to change their unfair and inhuman treatment of blacks.

Most of the nationalists were employed in one way or another in different government or white owned enterprises. This is the group that formed the early political parties most of which were eventually banned and the majority of the nationalists ended up in jails as political prisoners. ZANU and ZAPU then went confrontational by taking up arms through recruitment and sending out young people for military training to fight the white minority regime.

The second group of the Chimurenga fighters was composed of very young people some of whom had hardly started their primary school. This was the critical group that changed the tone of the oppressed black person in white settler government’s ears.

Most of these militarily trained groups were smart school age kids recruited from rural homes, missionary schools and Government schools by Nationalists agents. Some were force marched from schools for instance Mt Selinda in Chipinge and St Alberts in Mt Darwin. Others were school dropouts who due to unbearable rural life given the bottle neck education system had sought employment as gardeners (garden boys) or house maids in the rare cases of women.
Only a few luck ones some of whom were sons and daughters of the then African middle class who could afford missionary schools for their kids had the opportunity to complete their secondary or university education.

The guerrillas worked hand in gloves with the Mujibhas, Chimbwidos and the masses for the well execution of Chimurenga war. The ages of the freedom fighters averaged between 12and 25 years. The age differences between the nationalists and young fighters created what we can refer to as fathers and sons or mothers and daughters relationship.

This relationship made it easy for the much experienced and societal exposed nationalists to suppress the inferior educated freedom fighters who would only be given orders without questioning. The young and societal inexperienced freedom fighters were then manipulated by the nationalists and turned into merely killer men fighters who would be discarded after the war of liberation.

Meanwhile the nationalists were preparing themselves and their relatives back home and elsewhere in other countries as future leaders of the black government. The War Veterans, Mujibhas and Chimbwidos would just be sent back to their homes from assembly points to rehabilitate themselves into society with no form of material and financial support or a pat on the back from their superiors for having endured to the end in their quest for Zimbabwe’s liberation and in the process missing their childhood enjoyment.

Reconciliation in 1980 was a noble idea but to a larger extent it benefited sellouts relatives of our leaders who feared for their brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers and so forth.
This is how best the former freedom fighters were managed and completely silenced and sent into political oblivion until they finally woke up from overdose late in 1997 to fight for their recognition which the emperor reluctantly gave them.
This was without exposing the freedom fighters as societal rejects, blood suckers, political vampires and killers. In all these political games, the poor freedom fighters were outsmarted by the emperor and left at the mercy of the Zimbabwean population .

The ZANU PF party that was made popular by the liberation struggle political commissars was hijacked by the always over scheming ” smart supreme ” leader who foresaw his downfall if the former killer men fighters remained in the party structures.

The party leadership was then given to those who benefited from reconciliation as hero worshippers, boot lickers and praise singers as a thank you for being forgiven on their war transgressions.

This system is working very well for President Mugabe and it has kept him in power this long.

This is where we lost it all my fellow comrades but it is not too late to recover the lost ground and redeem ourselves although we have to negotiate through the mine infested field.

There is quite a good number of victims who were affected by this system and were eventually expelled from the party due to the kangaroo type of dispute resolution in the party for trying to question president Mugabe’s prolonged stay at state house without any option or willingness to pass on power to some one else within the party.

These affected comrades include Cdes C Mutsvangwa War Veterans national chairman and his vice H Moyo , V Matemadanda secretary general, Francis Chigava Nhando national political commissar , D Mahiya national spokesman, Bhila Harare province vice chairman, B Musona former ZANU PF Mash Central provincial secretary for security and seven former ZANU PF provincial youth chairmen like V Musengi Mash West , G Gomwe Harare, G Tsenengamu Mash Central , T Nyoni Mat North , S Mphofu Bulawayo , W Nkomo Mat South and E Samambwa Midlands and other youth organizations leaders like Zicosu, NYS, Youth in Mining , CZNLWVA to name but a few.

“Tirikurumwa nechokuchera ma comrades “and it needs our youthful braveness and determination which we exuded during the liberation struggle to confront this avenging spirit.
The struggle continues and victory is certain.

Alluta Continua!!!

Igwee Musona @ [email protected]