Former Zpra commander Abraham Nkiwane dies The late Cde Abraham Dumezweni Nkiwane

Mashudu Netsianda, Senior Reporter
VETERAN nationalist and former Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (Zpra) commander Cde Abraham Dumezweni Nkiwane has died.

He was 93.

Cde Nkiwane died yesterday at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) where he was admitted. He was the first person to smuggle weapons into Southern Rhodesia in 1962.

He is one of Zpra’s first commanders who operated under the Special Affairs and Training unit.

Cde Nkiwane’s son and family spokesperson, Kennedy, said his father succumbed to prostate cancer.

“For the past six months, my father has been battling prostate cancer and at one time we had to take him to South Africa. Last week, his condition deteriorated and we had to take him to UBH where he was admitted but sadly, he could not make it and passed on this morning,” he said.

“As a family we have lost a pillar and a mentor. He has worked hard not only for the family, but for the nation through his contribution to the liberation struggle.”

Zanu-PF Politburo member Cde Tshinga Dube described Cde Nkiwane as an astute and unflinching revolutionary who played a critical role in the liberation of the country.

“I knew Cde Nkiwane very well as a man who participated in the struggle for independence for a very long time. He left the country and went to Zambia in 1961 where he worked with the United National Independence Party (UNIP) after the late Dr Kenneth Kaunda requested him from Dr Joshua Nkomo to assist them until the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (Zapu) opened its offices in Lusaka,” he said.

“When I left the country for guerrilla training in 1964, Cde Nkiwane is the one who welcomed us in Zambia before taking us to Morogoro in Tanzania.”

Cde Dube said when the Special Affairs High Command was established in Lusaka in 1965, Cde Nkiwane was appointed Chief of Personnel and Training.

“When I also came to join the Zpra High Command in 1968, Cde Nkiwane was already there with the likes of the late Dumiso Dabengwa, Ackim Ndlovu the commander, Robson Manyika, Report Mphoko, Ambrose Mutinhiri and myself as chief of communications,” he said.

Cde Dube said the veteran nationalist was appointed to that rank as he had managed to secure training facilities in numerous countries such as the Soviet Union, South Korea, Egypt, Ghana, Zambia, Tanzania and Cuba.

“Cde Nkiwane contributed immensely to the liberation of the country and therefore our wish is that he be declared a national hero and join others at the national shrine,” he said.

Cde Dube said Cde Nkiwane is best known for teaming up with colleagues and smuggling the first arms of war into Southern Rhodesian in 1962 following the banning of Zapu in September 1962.

“Dr Joshua Nkomo sought a safe route to East Africa in order to facilitate the movement of arms into Southern Rhodesia. He asked for the services of Cde Nkiwane since Zambia was about to get its independence,” he said.

Cde Nkiwane then relocated to Mbeya in Tanzania where he was in contact with Sikhwili Moyo who too was involved in the movement of arms between Tanzania and Zambia.

Dr Nkomo sourced arms of war which he took onto a flight from Cairo to Dar-es-Salaam.

The weapons would finally find their way to Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).

The task of the risky mission to smuggle those arms of war fell on the shoulders of Cde Nkiwane.

Cde Nkiwane, who by that time owned a Zephyr Zodiac car, was not to undertake the risky task alone. Cdes Misheck Velaphi Ncube and Kennias Mlalazi were also drafted into the team that was going to ship the weapons across the borders between Tanzania and Zambia and finally between Zambia and Southern Rhodesia.

The Tanzanian government was involved in the transportation of the weapons, comprising among others, Pepesha sub-machine guns and explosives that had seen service in World War II.

Cde Nkiwane’s car rolled over the Victoria Falls Bridge during lunch hour when security was lax. The destination was Lupanda Native Purchase Area (NPA) in Lupane.

Comrade Nkiwane’s father owned a plot at Lupanda, one of the native purchase areas, which were created through the Land Apportionment Act (1930).

Prior plans had been made to facilitate the movement of arms from Lupanda onwards. A plan had been hatched through which Cde Nkiwane showed his father a smoking pipe, instructing him that whoever brought that particular pipe was authorised to collect the weapons.

Cde Nkiwane was born on January 6, 1928 in Ntabazinduna in Matabeleland North and attended the Presbyterian Church’s David Livingstone Primary School before proceeding to Thekwane Mission after which he taught at Tjehanga School from which he was expelled along with others for their demand for justice in the manner the Methodist Church was running schools.

In 1949 he was employed by the Bulawayo Municipality working in the African Department under the directorship of Dr Hugh Ashton.

In 1954 when Cde Nkiwane was reading towards the Bachelor of Commerce degree, he left for Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) at the time of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland which had been inaugurated in 1953.

Initially, he lived in Livingstone where he worked as stock controller in a company known as Rhodesia Mercantile Holdings. He worked for that company until 1960.

In 1961 Cde Nkiwane joined UNIP. Soon he began to work full time for Zapu and subsequently moved to Lusaka. Not so long after that Zapu leader Dr Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo visited Zambia specifically to solicit political support from Dr Kaunda.

Cde Nkiwane is survived by wife, Ntombizodwa and three children, two sons and a daughter.

Mourners are gathered at Joyful Farm in Umguza District.-@mashnets

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