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Mbuya Murape narrates her story in Highfield

Fortious Nhambura Senior Features Writer
Zimbabwe has many unsung heroes of the nationalist movement. These are people who have chosen to remain behind the scenes where they continue fighting for a worthy cause, that of keeping Zimbabwe free from colonial bondage.

Many times people are surprised when these names pop up in the liberation history.

When Mbuya Adah Murape’s home was included on the list of houses that were to be upgraded to national heritage sites, many people wondered who is Mbuya Murape and what role did she play in the nationalist movement?

I recently caught up with Mbuya Murape who will celebrate 87 years of life on April 28 this year, at her Highfield home.

She still recalls the days of the nationalist movement with ease and speaks like she is reading it from a book.

From the meetings, the organisation, road barricades and protests, she still recalls all as if it happened yesterday.

Mbuya Murape rubbed shoulders with late veteran nationalists like George Nyandoro, Daniel Madzimbamuto, James Chikerema, Maurice Nyagumbo, Robert Marere, Dr Joshua Nkomo and Mukarati, among others.

Entering politics in 1959 right in the very formative years of organised political movement under the Southern Rhodesian African National Congress, she has never looked back.

“By then I was the treasurer of the women’s league, while Regina Mupondamwara was our chairwoman for Highfield Branch. Evelyn Mushonga was secretary.

“That was also the time that marked the beginning of a closer alliance between organised African labour and African political parties,” she said.

The ANC was to be banned in February 1959 by the white settler regime giving way to the formation of the National Democratic Party in 1960.

“At our congress as National Democratic Party (NDP), I first met President Mugabe who was the publicity secretary back then.

“By then I was now chairwoman of Highfield. We had a chairwoman each for the four African townships namely Highfield, Mbare, Mabvuku and Mufakose. These were the only African townships that were there back then.

“Thanks to Zimbabwe, Harare has grown this big and now we can settle anywhere in the country.

“Back then passing messages between nationalist leadership was through messengers. The organising secretary had to visit the different townships to call for a meeting. It was a very effective way of communicating our news. It would only take a few hours to bring the people together for a meeting,” she reminisced.

The NDP was founded with the goal of achieving African rule gradually. Members of the party demonstrated, rioted and committed acts of arson in the hope of attracting the attention of Britain and forcing the British government to intervene and coerce the white supremacist government to cede power in Rhodesia.

The party was to be banned the following year by Rhodesian Prime Minister Edgar Whithead leading to the formation of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union. The banning of the NDP also heralded the end of the period of protests in Rhodesia. It led to the formation of a more vibrant political party, the Zimbabwe African People’s Union in 1962 and the commencement of the confrontational politics (1964 to 1971) by African nationalists.

Mbuya Murape was to be part of Zapu and continued the fight under the new political party led by the late Father Zimbabwe.

“We used to move from town to town teaching the people about the party and our slogan was “Mwana wevhu”. We went to Mutare, Gweru and Bulawayo but when we were heading for Bulawayo, we heard that the deputy president of the party Dr Tichafa Parirenyatwa had died. Only President Mugabe had to continue to Masvingo to announce the death of Dr Parirenyatwa.

“Dr Parirenyatwa was to be buried at his father’s farm in Murehwa. As we returned from the burial of Parirenyatwa we were greeted with the sad news that the party had been banned. That is when we formed the People’s Caretaker Council to circumvent its ban and assure people that the struggle against colonial rule was indeed progressing,” she said.

During that era the women and youths played a critical role in destabilising the country.

“I would wake up around 3am to go to pull out tobacco plants at a farm situated where Glen Norah C suburb is today. We used to lay boulders on the road to so that police Jeeps would not enter the suburbs.

“African consciousness was now high. We used to sing ‘pasi pamera madhuna mutuna’.

“Indeed the land was upside down that time. People were conscious of the need to fight for liberation,” she added.

In 1963 President Mugabe, the late Enos Nkala and others broke away from the party to form ZANU.

That did not deter her as she continued the struggle for independence under ZAPU.

“I was not deterred because I knew what we were all fighting for was black majority rule. We used to recruit youths for the liberation struggle. We knew that those who went to Zambia had joined ZAPU while those who went to Mozambique were joining ZANU.

“We fought the struggle as two parties until 1980 and got our independence. I was not devastated by the loss of ZAPU in the elections because our goal for the liberation was black rule. So when President Mugabe and Dr Nkomo signed the Unity Acord in 1987, I was greatly overjoyed because at last they had achieved the wish of the people of Zimbabwe, unity.

“Even when Dr Nkomo died we were not shaken because we knew he had left us with a capable leader, President Mugabe. We are firmly behind him because he is an able leader, a leader who has managed to unite us as a people of Zimbabwe,” she said.

Mbuya Murape worked with the late First Lady Sally Mugabe and at one time they were arrested together in 1961 and sentenced to three months or £3 fine after protesting the arrest of ZAPU leadership.

They were sent to Harare Central Prison. Back then she was chairwoman of Highfield branch and the late Cde Sally Mugabe was women’s secretary.

“We refused to pay the fine because we felt that some of our women arrested could not afford that money. We were only released after our husbands had paid the £3 fine. The late Sally actually used to strap my three month old son, Amos, on her back while we were in prison.”

In 1964 she and other women were arrested after protesting the arrest of nationalist leaders and their banishment to Gonakudzingwa Restriction Camp.

“At that time we did not know where they had been taken to. All women in the four African townships protested and many including me were arrested, charged and sentenced to six months in prison each,” an emotional Mbuya Murape said.

They were first sent to Harare Central Prison before being taken to Marondera Prison.

A few days after her release from prison her husband, a nationalist in his own right, was also arrested following an emergency round up in Highfield.

He was sent to detention at Hwawha.

Mbuya Murape was to stay at home for only three weeks before she was again arrested and sent to Gonakudzingwa detention camp and later Hwahwa Prison.

“Despite these hardships, we maintained the zeal to fight for the country. We are happy now that we won our independence and are now free. We indeed beat the Boers, stepped on them, stoned them and defeated them for good.

“I did not feel the toll of the struggle because I was in it full time, my husband and family were also in the deep end. For me it was a national sacrifice that had to be made,” she added.

Until recently she has remained an active member of ZANU-PF, the union of the parties that prosecuted and led the country’s liberation struggle.

Her message to the younger generation is clear: move away from abusing this hard won freedom.

“I say to youths stop wearing three pants, dropping trousers and from smoking dagga. It is imperative that these young people know that the freedom that they are enjoying to drink bronco and smoke dagga is because of the sacrifices of other people.

“They must learn how the country was liberated. This country has people who suffered for it and even died for it. It has boys and girls who wanted to have degrees but sacrificed that for the love of the country and that must be respected,” she said.

She said the youths should understand that the country was liberated by their grandparents and parents and must be protected jealously.

She said children must be taught the history of the liberation of Zimbabwe from the earliest grade to university.

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