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Nduduzo Tshuma

(Excerpts of interview with Cde Albert Nguluvhe)

After military training in Bulgaria, Cde Albert Nguluvhe, was deployed to security at Zimbabwe House in Lusaka under the command of Sam Madondo, who he described as a very tough man.

“I was withdrawn at around June or July and attached to Dr Joshua Nkomo because they wanted people who had specialised training in security because before us he was guarded by people who were trained as guerillas. He would at times attach me to his deputy Chinamano and for a day or two, I would be there but we slept at Nkomo’s residence providing security.”

Cde Nguluvhe was part of the security team at Dr Nkomo’s residence when it was attacked by the Rhodesian forces in April 1979 in a failed attempt on the life of Umdala Wethu.

“When the Rhodesians came, they painted their rovers just like the Zambian army trucks. When we got to Zimbabwe House, the lead car would park on the side and Umdala’s car would get in and then an accompanying car would also get in. We did the same but the day of the attack, Dabengwa had already got the intel but they didn’t tell us, they just told us to be alert. They took uMdala and went with Ben Tlou with a small car driven by a woman called Milda and a Cuban security officer. Fidel Castro had given us two security officers.

“We now had a rough idea that our situation was not good. We were alert, these guys attacked around 2 to 3am, the Rhodesians got to the gate and hooted and Cde Magwaza went to open the gate. He could not see the outside because the fence was covered with sacks so that no one sees inside. The house was surrounded by the State House, the golf course, barracks and the British Embassy. When he was about to ask who was hooting, the reply he got was gunfire. They hit his Russian hat and thought they had hit his head. That is when we returned fire towards the gate, as we fired at the gate we were then attacked from the back as we were surrounded and the house was bombed. The attackers were using small mortar bombs,” said Cde Nguluvhe.

“I want to tell you the truth, if Umdala was there, they could have killed him because within 10 minutes, they had blown open the gate and got in. We knew that anyone who was standing was not us and we started firing. It’s only that Zambians did not allow us to carry heavy arms but we had AKs only. If we had bazookas or light machine guns or Goryunov or grenade launchers, those cars would not have escaped because we could see the Rhodesian forces firing from those vehicles. The battle took about 30 to 40 minutes, they bombed the house and killed the commander and took his folded butt.

“Maphosa, who was Nkomo’s, driver was shooting from the house and he was shot and as he fell, he tried to balance with his AK that burnt him and he made some noise. Zenzo (Ntuliki) crawled and took him.

“There was a man called Bhala who was Mangena’s driver who decided to return fire from under the Land Rover but he was killed when the vehicle was hit by a bazooka.”

Cde Nguluvhe said they lost about four comrades but the Rhodesians later admitted that they faced heavy resistance. We saw traces of blood and some teeth but those Rhodesians, when shot, they would rescue each other.

“They left behind one vehicle which upon assessment, we discovered that they had paint it to look like those of the Zambian military.

“They were in groups, while some attacked us, they were also hitting the liberation centre. That is when Zipra commander Lookout Masuku decided to take his wife using a civilian car with one bodyguard.

“The Rhodesians hit his car not knowing that it was Lookout and their vehicle overturned, they came and said ‘ah we have hit Zambians’. I’m sure if they had known that it was Lookout who was our commander then, they would have taken him, when they heard his wife crying, they left him.

“There was confusion the following day as we thought Lookout had been captured,” said Cde Nguluvhe.

“After that, we continued working with Nkomo. The Soviets quickly sent weapons after the attacks for protection. Those were nice weapons and had the Rhodesians come after we got those weapons, they would not have come out alive.

“Remember when we were in Bulgaria we were trained in intelligence and security that also included urban warfare so we knew how to fight inside towns, we knew how to secure the leadership. I know the house (where Nkomo was hidden in the night of the attack,) that was secured by the late national hero Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu, we had to dig inside that house, where there was a rockery, we built a safe house there so that in the event of an attack, we would put him there. We didn’t sleep in the house anymore but outside so that when they got in, they would walk into the killing bags.”

Cde Nguluvhe said he continued working with Dr Nkomo until the Lancaster House talks where he also travelled with him.

“When they were just about to sign the agreement, because I was using a British passport, he decided that I come back to Rhodesia to make security arrangements for him. I came with a colleague, Newsreal. I smuggled a Makarov pistol in a radio, we used to like playing cassettes. I opened the radio and hid the pistol there. I later discarded the pistol in the early 1980s. I came as a student because even now my British passport is written student from Gwanda. We were received in Harare by the late national hero Cephas Msipa and we stayed at a hotel called Kambuzuma Garden Park, and later moved to Cde Msipa’s house in Lochinvar. We did all that was needed to be done in terms of security, we secured a vehicle, a Mercedes Benz that we were given by an Indian man, Mr Patel,” said Cde Nguluvhe.

“Of course, we had to make sure that all security arrangements were in place, to get in touch with the party youths. Umdala later arrived and had his first rally at Zimbabwe Grounds. Me and Newsreal organised that and received him, we went around the country.”