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The Herald, September 27, 1979  

LONDON. – The commander of ZANLA, Gen Josiah Tongogara, said yesterday he would be prepared to work “in any capacity” with Salisbury’s top military man, Lieutenant General Peter Walls, under a peace settlement.

Gen Tongogara was speaking in an interview with the Africa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation.

He is part of the Patriotic Front delegation at the talks, Iana-Reuter reports.

“If the Lancaster House Agreement determines that myself and Peter Walls should work together, there is no reason why I should not work with Peter Walls,” Gen Tongogara said.

He said there would be no difficulty in declaring a ceasefire if the talks reached a comprehensive peace agreement.

He insisted that the PF forces be involved in running the country as it moved towards legal independence under a settlement.

He also disputed there was a rift between the two Patriotic Front forces. “We are now working as one army.”

But he said both armies had “thousands of thousands” of men and it was not possible to rule out clashes inspired by “some elements who are against unity”.

LESSONS FOR TODAY

The Lancaster House talks were based on all parties willing to compromise on positions, to reach an agreement.

The cost of independence called for sacrifices and in this case, it meant having to work with someone who you had been fighting for years.

National hero General Josiah Magama Tongogara was a tough commander, but also a humble leader who was even willing to work with his erstwhile adversary in any capacity for the sake of achieving peace and independence.

When dealing with a large group of people, there is no guarantee that there will always be cohesion. There is bound to be some friction and differences which can cause problems.