Every time there was a contact with the security forces some poor villager was accused of having sold out. Punishment varied from death to having ears and lips cut off. A trained soldier did not really need an informer to track his opponent.He had binoculars, the time and patience to wait.
Zanu (PF) strategy was to bring the fighting to the people.When people were put in “protected villages” the guerillas would break the fences or something.
Most of my friends who went to war on the Zanu (PF) side, just would say they operated in a rural area like Gutu. They would get angry if you asked them how they won the war against whites by operating in Gutu where there were no whites. The war killed more blacks than whites. Our geurillas boys were pushed enmass as canon fodder against a better equiped, better trained enemy with more support systems like air, artillery, horses,motor cycles and armoured cars. Our leaders’ respect for life has always been very low.
They can kill 200 Zimbabweans to demonstrate their hatred of the British or Americans. So people will always die as long as thugs are in authority. Blacks who had no farms died at hondo yeminda.
When they came into power in 1980 they promised free education, health and housing for all by 2000. Come 2005 they demolished the people’s small houses that we had built under difficult conditions like less jobs,no loans etc. I heard of a peaceful demonstration where 400 people died. Most of us lived a better life before Independence. – Anon, by email
Post published in: Letters to the Editor