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Dr Obadiah Thembani Moyo
The late Jane Lungile Ngwenya was a rare breed of politician who rose from the Mushaurwa Village, Chief Makumbe area in Buhera to become one of the most respected freedom fighters in Zimbabwe.

Jane Ngwenya was a fountain of political knowledge on the struggle for Zimbabwe’s independence. I had a rare privilege to have relaxed and homely conversations with her since the mid-80s to the time of her departure from this world.

So dear to her were her grandparents, the Paradzai Matemai family who raised her as their own child. Born in 1935, at a time of land evictions to give room to white settlements, Jane Lungile Ngwenya was born under a very oppressive political system that also affected her grand-parents.

Close to her grandparents’ homestead was Chief Gwebu’s village, who together with his people was evicted from Mzingwane area, Matabeleland South Province in 1926. On arrival in Buhera, Manicaland Province, Chief Gwebu was well received by Chief Makumbe, who allowed him to choose an area where he wished to settle with his people. The red soils that Chief Gwebu identified for settlement, later became the playgrounds of Jane Ngwenya as the school that she first attended was established in Chief Gwebu’s area. This was a unique privilege for her as she got exposed to the Ndebele culture and language under Chief Gwebu and the Shona culture and language under Chief Makumbe.

At school she learnt and spoke Ndebele while at home she spoke Shona.

Jane Ngwenya’s sad childhood memories are when the police would visit her homestead, harass her grandfather who they wanted to curtail his herd of cattle. At times they would beat him up, take him away with them, she recalled.

Her joys of growing up were the getting together of children from her homestead and other homesteads to play familiar games, where girls would play together and boys also on their own. Common games included amadlwane, where children pretend to be adults — pick firewood, make fire, fetch water, cook food, among other activities.

Such games were done in stages, with the 3 to 4-year-olds using mud without fire to prepare their meals. Those in the 5 to 7-year-age groups would make fire, with parents keeping a distant observation on their activities. Small pots, plates and related utensils would be given to the children by various parents to use and return after cleaning them. This prepared them well for starting school and development of the skills they would need as they grow.

During harvest time, smaller quantities of crops like maize, groundnuts, melons, among others would be deliberately left in the fields for older children (five-seven age group) to pick in order to prepare their small meals. Jane Ngwenya’s sense of responsibility and readiness for school was shaped at such games.

Herding cattle and hunting with the boys was one activity that Jane Ngwenya loved doing. She was always the leader of their herding team and would defend her team from any bullies from other villages. One time, while hunting, at the age of 8, she hit and killed a buck (impunzi) with her knobkerrie, to the joy of other children and her grandparents.

In the 1944 Standard 1 examinations, she was the only student who passed, out of 17 learners at Gwebu Primary School. Only five of the learners were girls. She went on to attend a few other schools before completing Standard Six at Charles Wraith African School in Shurugwi. She later started a teaching career, which was for a short period.

When she got married she relocated to Bulawayo and lived in Mzilikazi with her husband, leading to a start of a challenging political career. Coming from a church service at St Patrick’s church in Makokoba, she witnessed a mass, open space meeting organised by Trade Union leaders led by Benjamin Burombo. Besides touching on oppressive labour practices, the meeting also highlighted how colonialists had evicted local people from rich soils and stole their cattle.

Jane Ngwenya’s thoughts went back to her grandparents’ homestead, remembering the harsh treatment her grandfather received over his herd of cattle that they wanted reduced by more than half, but resisted. While at that meeting, she made up her mind that this was a struggle she was prepared to sacrifice her life for.

Many future such meetings that were organised, she became a part, leading to her several arrests and incarceration at prisons like Grey Street in Bulawayo and five times at Gwelo Female Prison, charged and sentenced to do hard labour. She was charged under Law & Order Act for participation in unlawful political activities. In Gwelo prison she was grouped together with hardcore female criminals, thieves and murderers. The hard labour involved the chopping of firewood, pounding of maize, fetching water, cleaning ablution facilities, among other tasks.

Female white prisoners were treated much better than black prisoners and their ablution facilities were cleaned by black prisoners. Black prisoners were not provided with toiletries, sanitary pads among other essentials women require.

They were provided with food rations for them to prepare their own food, but at times prison guards would come and take away their meat. This irked Jane Ngwenya who raised alarm and complained bitterly to the magistrate who visited them every Saturday. She asked that such unfair practices be stopped and that white prisoners should not be afforded privileges that black prisoners did not have.

Though she received punishment for raising this, the situation started to change for the better with toiletries and sanitary pads being provided to all prisoners. Prison doors were closed at 4:00pm and at 4:30am they woke up to bath with cold water.

In the late 1950s and early 1960s she was engaged in the formation of the African National Congress (ANC), National Democratic Party (NDP) and the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu), shifting her future incarcerations to political imprisonment. As a political prisoner she was incarcerated at such prisons as Wha Wha and Gonakudzingwa.

Between 1964 and 1971, together with the other top hierarchy of Zapu were incarcerated at Wha Wha Prison. At first they all refused to take up studies while in prison, but were persuaded by the Red Cross Society, advising them that since they will be leaders of a free Zimbabwe, they needed to have the necessary education.

Jane Ngwenya together with many of her comrades enrolled for various courses.
She took studied in the Social Sciences and Administration while in prison.

Their Zapu team at Wha Wha was like a government-in-waiting since they maintained the structures of the party and practised good governance while in prison. They would receive current information from relatives visiting them in prison, which enabled them to develop Strategic Plans that were approved by the relevant party structures within the prison walls.

Goods and various items that were donated by well-wishers were equally shared among all inmates and no one, regardless of their position got more than others.

On her release from prison in 1971 she crossed over to Zambia where she took up various responsibilities for Zapu.
At independence Jane Lungile Ngwenya was appointed Deputy Minister of Labour, Manpower Planning and Social Welfare. After the 1987 Unity Accord between Zanu and Zapu, she was not appointed to any ministerial position.

However, she later accepted a position as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Community Development.

When I asked her how she felt, from being a Deputy Minister to a Deputy Secretary, she said, “mntanami — kulungile (my son, its alright), I did not engage in the liberation struggle to fight for myself, but for others”.

She regretted that after independence they did not craft a programme to teach young people about the ethos of the liberation struggle, hence the crave for material things and corruption among the current crop of politicians, as opposed to service to the nation.

In the past recent years we would meet at her Coronation Cottages residence, sit for hours — talk, laugh and share food. Jane Ngwenya had so much humour that meeting with her would lift my spirit with joy.

I once asked how it felt for her to live in a small, not so well furnished cottage when she contributed so much to the liberation of Zimbabwe. She responded with laughter and said, “mntanami — konke kulungile (my son, its all alright), I fought to liberate others and not myself.” Such was the character of Jane Lungile Ngwenya from whom I learnt so much about service to others.

Go Well Mama — Heroes Do not Die — they turn in their graves!

Due to Covid-19, I am unfortunately not able to give you a befitting farewell, but I know you are saying, “mntanami, kulungile — keep well”.

Dr Obadiah Thembani Moyo is Secretary General Rural Libraries and Resources Development Programme (RLRDP) and writes in his personal capacity.