Zimpapers Logo

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
GOGO Lydia Mabhena, who celebrated her 100th birthday on Saturday stayed with a number of  senior Zipra commanders at her house in Lusaka, Zambia where military strategies were formulated.

The commanders felt safe at her house, which was located 4km west of Lusaka at a place called Khola where they even set up a communications centre that was manned by Cde Cain Mathema alongside intelligence officer, Cde Lameck Khafula Nunu.

Zipra commanders who used to come to Gogo Mabhena’s house for military strategy planning, briefings and even celebrations on special days like Christmas Day included the late veteran nationalist, Cde Jason Ziyaphapha Moyo, who was the Zapu vice president at the time of his death in 1977, former Zipra commander Cde Nikita Mangena, intelligence supremo Cde Dumiso Dabengwa and Cde Andrew Ndlovu whose pseudonym was Cde Cleopas Ndanga.

Gogo Mabhena said despite the obvious repercussions of providing sanctuary to liberation war guerillas, her determination to see the country attain majority rule made her take the risk.

A bank teller by profession, Gogo Mabhena migrated to Zambia together with her husband Mr Basikiti Mpofu in 1959. Mr Mpofu passed on in Zambia in June 1975.

The centenarian who has been blessed to see five generations, has five children, 17 grandchildren, 23 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.

“All I wanted was for the liberation war to be won. I provided a place for them to plan and execute their strategies from the comfort of a safe house,” she said.

Gogo Mabhena said while Cdes like Nikita and Dumiso would come once in a while, Cain and Nunu stayed with her.

“ I would cook for them and after eating they would then do their meetings, some of which lasted for several hours,” said Gogo Mabhena.

Her third-born daughter Mrs Beauty Gumbo-Mpofu said they stayed with Cde Mathema for four years while Cde Nunu who now lives in Cowdray Park suburb, stayed even longer.

“Cde Mathema became a member of the family, he is the one who manned the communications centre after it was moved from Zimbabwe House in Lusaka which I think was for security reasons. Cde Mathema was a jovial man and would play poker with us,” said Mrs Gumbo-Mpofu.

She said as a result of her mother’s contribution to liberation struggle which eventually led to the attainment of independence in 1980, she deserves to be recognised as one of the liberation heroines although she never physically took up arms.

Chronicle tracked Cde Nunu, who is 82 years, to his house in Cowdray Park and he confirmed that he was Gogo Mabhena’s guest during his time in Zambia.

“I am a relative of the Mabhenas because my uncle married from that family. After crossing to Zambia in the early 1960s, I was sent to Egypt in 1964 where I trained for 12 months as an intelligence officer. I then returned to Zambia in September 1965,” said Cde Nunu.

He said Zapu had four houses in Lusaka but they were all occupied.

“ My friend Lazarus Mpofu (Zipra guerilla and broadcaster) advised me to go and live with his aunt (Gogo Mabhena). I stayed with umama uMabhena but I was operating from the office most of the time,” said Cde Nunu.

He said the commanders then brought in the communications equipment in 1973 which was being operated by Cde Mathema.

“Our senior commanders like Cdes Mangena, Dabengwa, Ziyaphapha Moyo and Ndlovu used to come to the house where military strategies were formulated and critical information shared. They would also come for celebrations like Christmas or whenever they wanted to cool off,” said Cde Nunu.

He said the house was strategic because enemy forces did not know about it although sometimes they saw helicopters hovering above.

Gogo Mabhena said she believed Rhodesian forces failed to locate her house because of the military intelligence supremacy of Zipra.

“Those boys were very clever, my house had tall fruit trees such as pawpaw and guava trees so they took advantage of that by aligning the communications antenna alongside those trees which made it difficult for anyone to see it even from a helicopter,” she said.
@skhumoyo2000.