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Cde Justin Mupamhanga: A natural born leader

Ambassador Chris Mutsvangwa

THE former Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Cde Justin Mupamhanga, who died on January 22, had the intellectual prowess of a natural born leader.

A selection of his wartime engagements brings this aspect to the fore. We called him Cde “Top Ten”.

We had a looming crisis in Zhunda Camp, Chimoio in 1975.

His arrival at Zhunde Camp from the University of Rhodesia together with Neville “Malcolm X” Hoko Dembetembe and Justice George “Yasser Arafat” Chiweshe brought our total to eight with Cdes Willard Duri, John Mayowe and Sobusa Gula Ndebele.

The swelling number of eager recruits leapt from hundreds to thousands of refugee border crosses within weeks.

This was from a wholesale response of emptying secondary schools.

As we groped for leadership, Cde Robert Mugabe, long sojourned in the Katere area arrived. Cdes Willard Duri, Justin Mupamhanga and John Mayowe lost no time in lobbying for Cde Mugabe’s leadership. We all employed our university gravitas to realise this goal.

This was at a time when some recruits owed to Abel Muzorewa and a sizable group vociferously championed for Cde Ndabaningi Sithole. They were of the Lusaka fiasco when President Julius Nyerere had rebuffed Cde Mugabe’s rival claim of ZANU.

They met with resistance from 300 Highfield recruits who were intensely abiding to Cde Mugabe. A misunderstanding ensued between the Manica Governor, Moyana and Cde Mugabe.

As host he did not brook any insolence. He ordered his trucks to stop food deliveries to Zhunda even as its occupants exponentially rose.

Cde Top Ten swung into action. With Cde Willard Duri as leader, the duo led us to persuade Cde Mugabe’s Highfield “boys” to let the Governor have his way and desire.

On relenting, the aides left Zhunda Camp as a convoy of trucks rolled in. Cde Mupamhanga was lionised.

Soon after, President Samora Machel opted to resume the war. Nyadzonia Refugee Camp, far from urban Chimoio was our new home.

Comrade Top Ten rose to lead Nyadzonia Camp Logistics. After all, everyone remembered the food trucks. In the meantime, Cde Mugabe was “exiled” to far away Quelimane Province to teach.

Cde Top Ten’s star continued to rise. He was one of the untrained to go and sit in on the High Table with seasoned cadres readying for the training programme.

He also pushed for Neville Dembetembe to be appointed head of security. Another crisis broke out after our fatherly Cde Makasha was transferred to go open Chibavava Camp in Espungabera.

His replacement Cde Bombadiari lacked discipline and smoked dagga. Not surprising, he became a love pest together with his sidekick Cde “Charles Saudhi” Kanungeremu.

One of the girls who had since returned from the Manica FRELIMO Governor’s custody became a repeat target of merciless lashing on the parade.

I was now a company commander. So was Willard Duri. Outraged at this gross breach of military discipline, I protested.

The retort was my swift arrest to join the ranks of flushed out spies. I was labelled an enemy agent working for Ian Smith and Ndabaningi Sithole.

We soon completed digging a large hole to serve as our Underground Pidigu Castigo, our prison.

Cde Top Ten furtively and deftly swung into action. Through Neville Dembetembe, he smuggled “High Table” food.

Meanwhile, Cde Dembetembe ensured we clandestinely slept on the ground surface. His guards being on the lookout to warn of any visiting danger.

All possible because our sloppy tormentors had not found out that both Cdes Mupamhanga and Dembetembe were our fellow former students at the University of Rhodesia.

The ZIPA High Command was still busy in Tanzania lobbying to resume the war effort “arrested” by Kissingerite Détente.

On arrival in Chimoio, ZIPA despatched Cde Bombadiari and Charles Saudhi to the front and the two of us we were freed.

Cde Top Ten would remain at Chimoio as we went to Tembwe Military Training Base in Tete Province.

We had to go through another Pidigu Castigo imprisonment as we were labelled enemy spies.

Same charge, different accusers and tormentors. The university background carried its own stigma. The arrival of the Mgagau cadres came to our rescue again.

Training in famine stalking Tembwe was a nightmare. We completed training together with Ambassador John Mvundura whose detachment had come from Chibavava.

Without Top Ten as Tembwe logistics officer, our hunger aggravated. Sapped of energy I almost gave up on living. I spent some days in coma famine. News reached to Willard Duri.

He was out in the forest foraging acacia tree pods and roasting them as a meal. He brought me a bag. Two days later I could rise.

Not long after, we were trucked back to newly established Chimoio Military Base. Cde Top Ten was still in logistics. Cde Oppah Muchinguri was shocked to see our wilted body frames with pronounced ribs covered by our tired and hunger scaled skin.

We were going to be blended with other detachments from Morogoro, Tanzania. Cde Top Ten swung into action. The fit comrades opted to skip a meal so we could fatten and recover.

Comrade Muchinguri and the female detachment joined the Cde Top Ten food rescue. We eventually recovered and were deployed. I was to return to the rear after being wounded in a battle by the Nyagadzi River.

I found Cde Top Ten now a lecturer in ideology at the Whampoa Party School founded by Cde Crispen Mataire, father of Ranga Mataire, the Zimpapers Group Political Editor. The school was later renamed Chitepo Ideological School.

Cde Top Ten had excelled in the maiden intake. Hence his promotion. ZANLA would formally train thousands of political commissars. Cde Top Ten had a hand in that undertaking.

These tried and tested commissars have time and again, and in war and in peace repeatedly come to the rescue of party, Government and country from sustained and tenacious onslaught wrought post-imperialists.

Cde Top Ten was specifically selected to lead the first batch of students to go to Eduardo Mondlane University in 1978. His post war sterling endeavours in the road and task of nation building since 1980 serves to vindicate President Machel’s inspired vision.

With his passing, Zimbabwe has lost the fountain head of treasure memories of its Chimurenga-Mvukelo war history. The ZANU PF Party he so loved has lost a gifted and versatile cadre with adeptly scalable and diverse capabilities.

He had the virtue of untiring persuasion, avoidance of gratuitous conflict, unblemished patriotism and touching compassion even as he struggled with an acutely worsening health condition, he obsessively pined to fly to Bulawayo.

The purpose of the trip was to see Advocate Sobusa Gazi a closest of friend and bosom wartime comrade. Only a just patriotic war could have availed the chance to develop such a noble person.

He also wanted a get together of comrades who have remained as couples ever since Mayor Urimbo, the then Zanu PF national political commissar solemnised their marriages.

My deep condolences to Comrade Editor (Ida Mupamhanga, wife to Cde Mupamhanga), my friend and Cde since Nyadzonia 1975. Keep the family fortress ever strong for children and grandchildren.

Justin Mupamhanga’s National Hero Status is deserved and rightly befitting.

President Mnangagwa has lost a revolutionary cadre who garnered outstanding ever prowess that assured his delivery in all assignments.

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