In Pursuit of Freedom and Justice: A Memoir

By G. Msipa

As I look back, I am happy that I have lived for so long . It is a happiness shared by many: family members, friends and colleagues. Cephas Msipa s memoirs take us back to his birth in Zvishavane in 1931, and they reflect a life dedicated to the welfare of others and the development of his country. Following secondary education at Dadaya Mission, he worked as a teacher in Zvishavane and Kwekwe, where he was active in the Rhodesian African Teachers Association, before moving to Harare in 1958. It was a time of rising nationalism in the capital, and following the banning of the African National Congresss and its successor, the National Democratic Party, Msipa was a founding member of ZAPU, the Zimbabwean African People s Union. Thus began an engagement with national politics that would last until he was in his late seventies, furthering his education as a political detainee and, after independence had been won, serving as a deputy minister, minister and provincial governor. The narrative of his life follows the arc of Zimbabwe s history, and embraces the people and events that have shaped it. Beyond that, it is the story of a gentle, humorous, committed man who enjoyed a long and loving marriage and continues to fill his retirement with philanthropy and wide-ranging friendships.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Weaver Press
• Release date: Nov 3, 2015
• ISBN: 9781779223814

Book preview

In Pursuit of Freedom and Justice

Published by

Weaver Press, Box A1922, Avondale, Harare. 2015

<www.weaverpresszimbabwe.com>

© Cephas George Msipa

Typeset by Weaver Press

Cover photograph: Wide Angle

Cover Design: Danes Design, Harare

Map: Street Savvy

Printed by: Directory Publishers, Bulawayo

Photograph on pp. 28, 67, 96 courtesy of the National Archives and the Ministry of Information in Zimbabwe.

All other photographs from the author’s private collection.

All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise – without the express written permission of the publisher.

ISBN: 978-1-77922-282-4

Acknowledgements

I am deeply appreciative of my family and friends for their help, time, advice, support and encouragement as I worked on this memoir. My sons worked long and arduously on my story to ensure that the details were as correct as we could make them and that the text had a sequential flow.

My heartfelt gratitude to Primrose Faku and Tsitsi Muchohonyi my administrative assistants, who worked for many hours to research some of the material and to do the original typing of the manuscript from my dictation.

My good friends Professor Ngwabi Bhebhe, Professor Rungano Jonas Zvobgo and Dr Hazel Ngoshi have been very generous with their time in reading and commenting on earlier drafts of the book.

Many other people have rendered invaluable assistance to me in compiling these reminiscences and reflections. To them all I express my sincere appreciation.

I dedicate this book to my parents, Elijah and Anne Msipa, for nurturing and believing in me and for their support, guidance and love for me and for my brothers and sisters.

I can never repay the debt of gratitude I owe to my wife, Charlotte Sithabile Msipa, who stood by me through thick and thin and with whom I shared my life and adventures for over 55 years until her death in April 2013.

FOREWORD

It was in Gweru, in mid-2008, that I first had a personal encounter with Cephas Msipa. Prior to that, he had been a political figure I saw on television, read about in the newspapers or met in banking halls where he would humbly join the queues like everybody else. I had always admired the gentility and sobriety of character. The circumstances of my meeting him were purely academic. I was young and my academic career was in its infancy. When a faculty meeting at the local university proposed that we confer an honorary doctorate on a distinguished individual, Cephas Msipa’s name was the first one suggested. In my youthful excitement, I volunteered to write the proposal for the citation since I had access to some historical material a colleague was working on. Through one of his aides, Msipa came to know about me and we were introduced to each other. Even though the honorary doctorate was later conferred by the Faculty of Commerce, my contact with him had been established. He struck me as a fatherly figure. I did not attend the graduation ceremony where the doctorate was conferred, but a colleague told me of how he had looked for me everywhere – to be with him and President Mugabe for a photo session.

This relationship and the fact that I had told Dr Msipa of my intention to undertake doctoral studies with a focus on autobiography partly provided the impetus for this his autobiography. I say partly because he has always been clear about his motivations for writing a memoir:

I want to leave a record hoping those coming after me may benefit from my experiences in detention, the liberation struggle and what we went through, lest people may forget. I want to continue to talk to people even after I am dead. I am putting myself on the line to say here: ‘I am, this is what I have said and hear what people will say’.

He has often added, I know Robert more intimately than most people do. Those who respect his political culture have also been nagging him for his story:

What motivated me most was that people I spoke to, both black and white, urged me to write about my long journey from Rhodesia to Zimbabwe. The period between 1957 and 1980 was of great political significance as it brought an end to colonialism.

The result is a story of personal contribution to the liberation of Zimbabwe, and the public and private sectors of this country. It is a story about his family and childhood, which shaped his dreams, and the colonial experiences including detention that sharpened those dreams and the struggle to fulfil them. It is the story of an honest man.

Cephas Msipa’s character is unassuming, but his life has been extraordinary in many regards, mainly because of a professional and political career that spans close to six decades. He belongs to the generation of illustrious Zimbabweans who fought for our independence and went on to contribute to the nation-building process. What separates him from his peers is the level-headedness and sincerity of his political praxis. As a politician, he has always acted above the fray and his contributions have always been carefully considered. If there is ethics in politics, he is best qualified to personify ethical politics.

This book is the story of multi-layered narratives of life lived as a young man struggling to earn an education; it recounts the growth in political consciousness of a young and dedicated educationist who becomes increasingly politically aware due to the ways in which the Rhodesian state oppressed black people. He claims in the narrative that he was a teacher by profession and politician by circumstance. The book also contains an alternative narrative of post-independent Zimbabwe in which he articulates a version of political developments in the early days of our nation – initially from a ZAPU perspective and later from a ZANU-PF insider’s perspective. Msipa articulates the intrigues of the early days of Zimbabwe – the conflicting agendas for the new nation, the dark episode of Gukurahundi and the ensuing political compromises that had to be made – with a candour that belies his diplomatic personality. Perhaps, again, Msipa is one politician to talk about Zimbabwean politics and he does so without rancour. Written in simple, accessible language, the narrative addresses in some detail, the most important milestones in the political history of this country.

Msipa also takes us through the rich tapestry of his personal life as it interweaves with the nation’s history. There is no artificiality or affectation as he chronicles his political culture and his idea of service within both the public and private sectors of Zimbabwe. His political culture is distinct from that of some of his colleagues. He writes that he vowed never to use violence as a political tool after observing the culture of fear among our people. The narrative is equally introspective as he revisits his role in nation-building. The question that haunted him while in the public sector, and still does, is, Why are we so poor? This is in view of the fact that Zimbabwe remains poor despite being richly endowed with abundant resources that could benefit its people.

To put it mildly, the general feeling today is that we are fast approaching the end of an era (the era of old nationalist politicians). Msipa has repeatedly told me: You see, I am old now, my days are numbered, I need to finish this book. If I die now, some things will be left untold. If this is true, then there is urgent need, today, for documenting Zimbabwe’s past in autobiography. There is therefore real virtue in Msipa’s book, especially for historians and theorists of autobiography.

For readers who crave for multiple stories of our nation, for backgrounds against which the question of the trajectories followed, Msipa’s life is a near-unique case. The book not only informs, but educates, and will no doubt stir debate.

Msipa’s narrative has taught me a great deal and I have no hesitation in recommending it. My regrets at not having known him longer are mitigated in this book and the reasons for his being awarded the honorary Doctor of Commerce by the Midlands State University have been illuminated.

Hazel Tafadzwa Ngoshi, Ph.D.

Chairperson, Dept. of Literature,

Midlands State University.

October, 2015.

Preface

This is a book by one who has walked through the armed struggle, experienced the brutality of the colonial system at first hand. One who witnessed families being separated by the colonial system. It is a lucid exploration of the journey of an African freedom fighter, Cde Cephas Msipa.

This book falls within specific periods; the first stage is Cde Msipa’s early years as a teacher, a member of the African Teachers Association and the early years of the formation of his political vision. The second stage chronicles his years in Kwekwe and Highfields where he was already playing a prominent role in politics. He remained the bridge between ZAPU leaders out of the country and supporters in the country. The final stage is the post cease fire period, years as minister in government and the various roles he played in government.

Through this journey Cde Msipa highlights his arrests, the detention of African leaders and what they were struggling for. He was a ZAPU and ZANU mediator who brought the two parties together. The unity that ensued was a result of his actions as he persuaded Cde Joshua Mqabuko Nyongolo Nkomo to be in line with the President, Cde Robert Gabriel Mugabe.

This book is a milestone contribution to the knowledge body of Zimbabwe’s history and heritage. A must read for everyone and anyone for whom history is an essential process that should be analysed and understood in order to make sense of the present and the future.

Rungano Jonas Zvobgo

Vice-Chancellor

University of Great Zimbabwe

October, 2015.

Map of Zimbabwe

1

My Early Years

I was born on 7 July, 1931, the first born in a family of ten children, in Shabani district in the Midlands Province under Chief Masunda. Of the ten, seven were boys and three girls. At the time of writing, four boys and one girl have left us. Those remaining are very close and we meet as family members from time to time. Our own children have maintained that relationship as well. All in all, I have eight children, thirty-one grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.

As I look back, I am happy that I have lived for so long. Many of my friends including those I was incarcerated with in detention camps and prisons are gone. May their souls rest in peace. I suffered with them, but we also had moments of joy as we celebrated our freedom and independence on 18 April, 1980. It is a pity they missed one big celebration, that was on 3 December, 2009 when Midlands State University honoured me. It is a day I shall never forget. It was a most humbling experience, a great honour indeed. The citation read, "Doctor of Commerce in Strategic Management and Corporate Governance Honoris Causa" and the President of Zimbabwe and Chancellor of the Midlands State University, capped me.

I said to myself then, what a pity some of my closest friends had been taken away from this world, including my parents who had worked so hard to have me educated when they themselves were not. Among these friends were Ariston Chambati, formerly Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Germany and research officer in the International Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat, and Willie Musarurwa, the first African editor of The Sunday Mail and former Secretary for Publicity for PF ZAPU. These two and I, together with George Kahari, formerly a headmaster, now Professor of African Languages and Literature at the University of Zimbabwe, used to be called the Big Four in PF ZAPU, the party we belonged to. Death has separated me and George from Ariston and Willie, and that is the law of nature. We don’t choose when to go. The Almighty keeps that power for Himself.

My parents were poor peasants, but hardworking and diligent. My father, Elijah, was born in Belingwe district in 1909 and died in early 1972. When he was only three years old, his mother died, leaving him and his young brother, Jeremiah, who was two months old. My grandfather had several wives and my grandmother was the youngest. She was born and bred in Insiza District, Matabeleland South. In accordance with our culture, after her death my maternal grandparents were invited to take their daughter’s two sons and look after them. My father and his brother were looked after by their aunt as orphans in Insiza. At this tender age, they were cut off from their blood relatives in Belingwe and went to live in a new environment. Their aunt was a teenager, and how she nurtured them, particularly Jeremiah, was a wonder. A crisis arose when their aunt decided to get married. She said there was no way she could take the two kids to her new husband. No one can explain to me why my father and brother could not go back to Belingwe. Instead they were handed over to their uncle, their mother’s brother-in-law, in Shabani. Life was a serious struggle for the two orphans. When I was born, there were four of us, my father and his brother, and my mother, Anne, and me. From time to time my father and his brother used to go to Mahlebadza in Belingwe and a number of our relatives there used to visit us. Even now, they call on us and regard me as one of them. In Belingwe, most of our relatives, including my Gumbo brothers, Joram and Rugare, use the Shona surname, Gumbo (leg), which is Msipa (muscle/ligament) in Ndebele. As a matter of fact, Mnene Hospital in the district was named after my great-grandfather who welcomed the Lutheran church and allowed them to establish a mission in Belingwe in 1908. His name was Mnenegwa Gumbo but the missionaries shortened it to Mnene in appreciation of his granting them permission to establish a church, school and hospital. My mother grew up in Chibi in Victoria Province. We did not have much contact with her side of the family. However, she used to go with me to Insiza nearly every year to visit my grandmother whom she regarded as her mother-in-law. The relationship was very warm and strong. My father and his brother were orphans in the true sense. From early ages they learned what it was to have no permanent home. The experience taught them to be resilient and to get along in this world.

Although my parents were very poor, having come from humble beginnings, they had a clear vision for their children. I will always remember and admire them for that. Both of them were hardworking and as a result we never went hungry. They had many friends. You could not tell that my father grew up in Matabeleland South and my mother in Chibi in Masvingo Province, as usually people who come from other districts are considered foreigners and are not easily adopted into local society. What I learnt from my parents is humility and generosity and, above all, respect for others, especially those who were older than they were. We were inundated with visitors, mostly from Belingwe. My father, a popular figure and influential farmer in the area, had many friends, including Chief Masunda and the well-known political figure, Benjamin Burombo, from Bulawayo. Each time he was in Shabani, he would spend two or three days at our home.

Burombo’s mission was very clear; he was vehemently opposed to the forced removal of Africans from their homes. He formed an organisation called the British African National Voice Association. He addressed meetings throughout the country. He appealed to the British to stop the white Rhodesian government from taking from the black people their God-given right to land, but to no avail.

When Burombo was in Shabani, my father used to accompany him to these meetings and at night they would review their successes and failures. Here was a nationally important man, sleeping on the hard floor in the same hut with my father and being satisfied with whatever my mother cooked. I was young then, but I heard Burombo and my father talk with emotion and anger. Burombo was a man of the people, and a true nationalist. I hope that some day his role is recognised and that he be re-buried at Heroes Acre, the shrine in Harare for those declared heroes of the liberation struggle. I learnt a lot from him and he was my political mentor. He had little education but his passion for downtrodden people endeared him to thousands of black people. Had the white minority Rhodesian government listened to Benjamin Burombo, we would not have experienced the years of war and struggle, on both sides, that came as a consequence of blacks being denied their rights. In many ways, what white commercial farmers have been experiencing since 2000 under President Mugabe’s seizures of white-owned land, is what blacks experienced in the late 1940s under the Land Apportionment Act.¹ I am glad I got