The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
GLOBALLY acclaimed Roman Catholic sister and missionary, Mother Teresa once said there is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.
Human behaviour has always shown that the brain, just like the heart, tend to go where it is appreciated.
This played out last week on Saturday in Mt Selinda area of Chipinge District when the late Reverend Ndabaningi Chandiwana Sithole was formally conferred with national hero status before hundreds of villagers and politicians.
Reverend Sithole has always been a symbol of political emancipation for the Ndau people of this area.
Jubilation engulfed Emerald Hill Primary School, the venue of last week Saturday’s official conferment of Reverend Sithole’s national hero status, as villagers witnessed a historical moment in their lifetime.
The last born daughter of the late nationalist, Dr Sifiso Sithole received the national flag from President Mnangagwa, who was represented at the event by Defence and War Veterans Minister, Honourable Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri.
Joy was written all over the faces of a good number of grey haired villagers who attended last week’s event, some of whom personally knew and interacted with the departed revolutionary.
In an interview with The Manica Post on the sidelines of the event, Mr Chokuda Thabethi of Dimire Village said: “It has always been an unanswered question for people around this place. Surely, will all know the role he played during the liberation struggle. Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole is indeed a national hero. I will die knowing that a great piece of our history has been corrected. It feels good.”
Ms Esnath Siduna (85) of Chako Business Centre said: “We really want to thank the brains behind this initiative. Yes, it took long, but it is better late than never. We are happy that our father, our icon, our voice and our liberator has been recognised.”
Dr Sydney Sekeramayi, Chairman of the Zanu PF Council of Elders, lays a wreath on the national hero’s grave in Chipinge on Saturday.
President Mnangagwa, in a speech read by Minister Muchinguri said: “It has taken us more than 40 years to harness our diversity in our quest to develop a stable and united country as well as opening new frontiers by engaging all communities, regions and classes. Under my watch, Zimbabwe is a country of equals.
“With this in mind, the Second Republic has continued with the liberation legacy of fostering national unity across all communities, regions and races.
“Likewise, ZANU PF is consolidating all efforts to unite the people of Zimbabwe, guided by the principle that there is strength in diversity. Our liberation struggle knew no tribal or regional boundaries. We must learn from our forefathers who left a legacy of unity, peace and development.”
He went on to narrate Reverend Sithole’s illustrious political career.
Reverend Sithole was born on July 21, 1920, at Nyamandhlovu, north of Bulawayo.
His parents were Jim Sithole and Siyapi Tshuma of Nyamandhlovu.
In 1930, his family relocated to the then Shabani (now Zvishavane) were the young Ndabaningi enrolled at Wesleyan Primary School in Shabani.
However, he was forced to abandon school due to financial reasons.
Between 1933 and 1934, Reverend Sithole was employed as a domestic worker but his quest to learn persisted and he attended night school.
In 1935, he was able to go to Dadaya Mission where he studied under Mr Garfield Todd (the then Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia during the Federation era), who was at that time the Superintendent.
Reverend Sithole remained at Dadaya until 1939 when he completed Standard VI.
Hundreds of people gathered to witness and celebrate the conferment of the late Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole with national hero status on Saturday at Freedom Farm in Chipinge. The late Reverend Sithole was the founding President of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) . Pictures: Tinai Nyadzayo.
In 1939, he proceeded to Waddilove Training Institution on a Beit Trust Bursary for a two-year teacher training programme. He qualified as a primary school teacher and thereafter taught at a number of rural schools.
In the following years, he also acquired his National Junior Certificate by correspondence and went to teach Standard V at Dadaya.
In his spare time, Reverend Sithole managed to complete his Matriculation Exemption Certificate.
It was at Dadaya where Reverend Sithole received his political baptism when he was singled out as a key actor in the Dadaya School strike of 1947.
The strike by students was a key background incident to the rise of African nationalism in Southern Rhodesia.
The episode pitted Reverend Sithole against the late Mr Garfield Todd, both of whom went on to play critical political roles in the country – the former as an African nationalist writer and practitioner and the other as Premier of Southern Rhodesia from 1953 to 1958.
After the Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI), Mr Todd became a leading white critic of Mr Ian Smith’s government.
Mr Todd, the principal of Dadaya at the time of the strike, fired Reverend Sithole (along with three other African teachers) for his alleged role in prompting it.
Significant political turmoil subsequently ensued. Mr Todd, who had become a legislator of the then ruling party at the time of the strike, demanded that the government bar Reverend Sithole from teaching, while various African political and professional associations rallied to Reverend Sithole’s defence.
At Tegwani Training Institution in 1948, he became Assistant Method Master and took intensive Bible studies, becoming a preacher for the British Methodist Church, before joining the United Methodists Church in 1950 and teaching at Mount Selinda American Methodist Mission.
While there, he obtained a BA Degree by correspondence.
Impressed with his work ethic, in 1955, the church leaders sent Reverend Sithole to the Newton Theological College in Massachusetts in the United States to undertake theological studies.
Upon completion of his studies, Reverend Sithole returned to the then Southern Rhodesia in 1958 and was ordained at Mt Selinda Congregationalist Church and appointed Principal of Chikore Central Primary School.
Then came his book African Nationalism which was published in 1959.
This book had been preceded by one called AmaNdebele kaMzilikazi.
It was during this period that Reverend Sithole decided to enter the political arena. He briefly joined the multi-racial Central African Party (CAP).
In 1960, a year after the publication of his influential book, African Nationalism, Reverend Sithole was invited to join the executive of the National Democratic Party.
At the time, Reverend Sithole was one of the intellectuals who were recruited to join the ranks of African nationalist parties.
He was recruited together with Cdes Leopold Takawira and Herbert Chitepo.
Within a short space of time, Reverend Sithole became a prominent actor in the NDP when he was elected Treasurer.
Led by the late Father Zimbabwe, Dr Joshua Nkomo, the NDP was a key sign of the emergence of African nationalism and as such, it was subjected to massive attack by the white minority regime.
After the banning of the NDP, African nationalists formed the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (ZAPU) in 1961.
Reverend Sithole was elected Treasurer and National Chairman.
After the split within the African nationalist movement, Reverend Sithole became the founding President of the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU).
Under Reverend Sithole’s leadership, the inaugural Congress of ZANU was held in Gweru from May 21 to 23, 1964.
The Gweru Congress did much to arouse political consciousness and heighten party cadres’ commitment to the armed struggle.
It was held against a background in which the party had done much ground work to politicise the masses and to launch certain acts of the struggle.
One major confrontation programme developed under Reverend Sithole in the 1960s was the five-point Master Plan for liberation (eventually it became the 16-point Plan) which encouraged acts of sabotage, targeting all the main roads between Harare and Bulawayo.
The new policy of confrontation birthed the Committee of Three which comprised Reverend Sithole, Mr Noel Mukono and Mr Henry Hamadziripi.
These coordinated underground operations under the clarion call ‘We are our own liberators’. This agenda of confrontation was given weight by the timely arrival in the country of trained freedom fighters code-named the Crocodile Gang.
One of the groups, led by the late national hero, Cde William Ndangana, operated in the Eastern Districts and its members included Master Tresha Mazwani, Cde Amos Kademaunga, Cde James Dlamini and Cde Victor Mlambo.
On July 4, 1964, the Ndangana Group ambushed and killed a white man, Mr Peter Oberholtzer, in Chimanimani (then Melsetter).
Several acts of sabotage were committed in the wake of the July episode.
These and many others that were not documented here and elsewhere were the great works of political resistance and emancipation of what we now call Zimbabwe.
These activities were championed by Reverend Ndabaningi Chandiwana Sithole and his peers.
May his soul continue resting in power!
