BY a stroke of luck, one of the country’s pioneer
liberation stalwarts, Cde John Maluzu Ndlovu escaped the hangman’s noose at the
hands of the Ian Smith regime at the eleventh hour.
Cde Ndlovu (77), whom the white minority government had
charged with various capital crimes against the administration of the time had
been sentenced to death.
He was part of the first group of fighters trained in China
with the likes of Felix Rice and was captured in the 1960s during operations to
rein in blacks fighting the whites’ oppressive laws.
Just as he was about to be hanged, the decision was
reversed. In an interview on the sidelines of the distribution of food hampers
to war veterans donated by Doves Holdings in Bulawayo yesterday, Cde Ndlovu
recalled his experience on death row.
“I was sentenced to die on March 8, 1965 at the Salisbury
High Court. They said I had committed many capital crimes. I had been tortured
immeasurably but the judge, Sir Hugh Beadle, said their intelligence had
informed them that my training was so high such that I would be willing to die
without revealing anything. We were trained to die in silence.
“Sir Hugh Beadle then said he would read my crimes, whether
I pleaded guilty or not didn’t matter because he had been told torturing me
would be pointless,” said Cde Ndlovu.
He said he had been sentenced to a combined 43 years in
prison for some crimes while he got life imprisonment for other offences.
“I got into prison garb and was locked up at Salisbury
Central Prison. I was in prison for three years. Impi yasitshisa ngo1968,
that’s Hwange and Sipolilo. One day, soldiers came to my cell camouflaged by
black paint. They said as long as I was alive, they were not going to win the
war,” narrated Cde Ndlovu.
He continued: “‘Let’s kill this one,’ they said. ‘So that
they’ll understand that when we capture, we kill.’ It wasn’t long before one
evening, while I was sitting in my cell, I heard keys rattling.”
“John Maluzu”, one of the prison guards called, to which he
answered, ‘Yes sir.’ The prison guard ordered me to gather my blankets and get
out of the cell. I did that and as we approached the main door, I saw more
guards at the A Hall, where people were hanged. I got there and the senior
superintendent arrived five minutes later. He stood in front of my cell, and
called my name. John Maluzu Ndlovu, he said. Again, I answered, ‘Yes sir.’”
“You’re going to be hanged on Monday, the 11th of March, I
was told. I took it as a joke considering I’d been told I’d be imprisoned for
43 years before I was killed. I laughed because I knew we would be liberated by
then. It was on a Friday, I still remember, the 8th of March, 1968. I sat there
waiting. I was told to hold a press conference on the Sunday and speak to my
relatives because I’d be hanged on the following Monday,” said Cde Ndlovu.
The 25-year-old John Maluzu said the Monday came and he was
to be hanged at 8AM.
“I was with a few other people who were also supposed to be
hanged so we waited for 8AM. But surprisingly, at 7.30AM, the prison
superintendent came and said, ‘John Maluzu Ndlovu.’ ‘Yes sir’, I responded.
‘Your execution has been postponed until further notice,’
he said. I thought he was crazy and told the guys I was with to wait for 8AM as
earlier advised,” he recalled.
Cde Ndlovu remembered how he kept asking: “Sergeant Major,
what time is it?”
He was told it was 7.50AM but moments later Cde Ndlovu
asked again.
“Sergeant Major, what time is it?”
It was now 8AM but there was no activity showing that he
would be executed that morning.
“It was just quiet. The clock hit 9AM but still, nothing
was happening,” said Cde Ndlovu.
He said he had been in prison for three years and he knew
how people were executed. Eventually, they took some prisoners but left him
behind, he said.
Cde Ndlovu recounted how he had to observe some ‘pre-death’
rituals pending his execution.
“Before you were executed, you wouldn’t bath or do other
things. They would say you should die in your most natural state,” he said.
Cde Ndlovu, who was the MP for Nkayi constituency between
1995 and 2000 said he tried to rehearse how the execution would go way before
the day came.
“Everybody was in solitude thinking of how they would be
hanged. They (Ian Smith regime) were very cruel but I knew why they wanted to
hang me and I wasn’t the first person to face the death penalty. Many had been
executed before. I was fighting to see black majority rule. I left home because
of the pain I felt when I saw the Ian Smith regime heavy handedness on blacks,”
said Cde Ndlovu.
He said a few days later, he was removed from solitude and
paraded at the prison grounds.
“John Maluzu,” called the prison superintendent. “Yes sir,”
he responded. “Your sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment,” he was
told. Cde Ndlovu said he was then moved to Khami Prison in June
of 1968.
He had joined the liberation struggle as a young man fresh
out of Cyrene High School.
He was among the war veterans who received donations from
Doves Holdings in Bulawayo yesterday. Doves managing director Dr Talent
Maziwisa said his company had been deliberate when it came to war veterans.
“We have been impressed by the kind of progressive thinking
the war veterans have been exhibiting. I’m sure you’ve seen the borehole and solar
system that has been installed. There’s going to be a green house, a fowl run
and a fish pond that will be put in place. Coming to this sort of place
(Entumbane war veterans offices) makes it easy to donate whatever you provide
because here is an arm of government that’s ready to generate for its own
sustenance,” said Dr Maziwisa.
He said his company would be headed to other provinces to
make similar donations.
“It’s good to be a pioneer. It’s difficult to start
something but it’s easy to emulate. You the pioneers of the struggle made it
possible for those that followed for the country to be what it is today,” said
Dr Maziwisa.
Speaking at the same occasion, Minister of State for
Bulawayo Provincial Affairs Cde Judith Ncube said the country would always be
grateful for the commitment and dedication shown by war veterans during the
liberation struggle.
“Doves Holdings has come up with this programme in honour
of our living liberation war heroes for their immense contribution to this
country. I’d like to express my sincere gratitude to Doves Holdings for this
kind gesture as many have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Cde
Ncube.
She said the Government recognises the work being done by
Doves Holdings in offering support to communities.
“May I ask the people of Bulawayo to continue observing the
lockdown regulations as we are not out of the woods yet,” said Cde Ncube.
The war veterans who benefitted included senior Zipra
cadres such as Cdes Moffat Hadebe, David “Sharp Shooter” Moyo and Lot Siziba.
They received food hampers including mealie meal, cooking oil, sugar, flour,
rice, soya mince and sugar beans. Chronicle
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