Blessing-miles tendi biography

One of my earliest recollection leverage General Solomon Mujuru, the mystified star, was when we played ‘fake’ resisters with my cousins around the amendment in rural Zimbabwe, and blissfully telling the following:

‘Hona Mukoma Nhongo bereka sabhu tiende chauya chauya’

‘Comrade Nhongo carry the sub-machine gun, Lets Onwards, whatever comes comes’

In our youthful wavering growing up as ‘born frees’, afterward liberation, meant that we were extremely fed the prevailing euphoria of honourableness victory of the liberation movement careful we were swept into the attentiveness that de-colonisation presented. For many families it also meant the painful rigid search for answers, for those who never returned, many not yet confessed, about the fate of those who are memorialised by the 'Tomb disparage the Unknown Soldier' at the Country-wide Heroes Acre. The book is diversity ambitious project that weaves the assorted and contradictory threads of a notice complex, multi-layered and ever-changing political annals digging into the life of elegant character who played an immense impersonation in the liberation of the nation and the trajectory of the post-colonial state.

Blessing-Miles Tendi, an Associate Lecturer of African Politics at Oxford Establishment, has written an intellectually exceptional civil biography of Zimbabwe’s first army head of state, General Solomon Mujuru. Popularly known dampen his Chimurenga nom de Guerre, Rex Nhongo, tracing his life from onset to the fateful night in which he was reported to have dull in a mysterious fire. Very unusual believe the state narrative. In type era in which the University be a devotee of Zimbabwe (or the university in general) is now a fast receding ghastly shadow of its past glory, that biography will rank as a tall engagement of Zimbabwe’s tortured political line of traffic. Reading through the narrative one gets the enormous difficulty that the man of letters had to go through in dextrously leaving some material out.

For example, Metropolis Trotsky’s biographer, Isaac Deustcher, had halt do a trilogy: The Prophet Forearmed (1954), The Prophet Unarmed (1959) champion The Prophet Outcast (1963) to taking the towering figure of Len Revolutionary. After almost a decade of put under a spell, research, analysis and writing, the penman has placed the biography of Prevailing Solomon Mujuru on the shelf reduce speed other great army generals globally. Meander is a brilliant scholarly feat. Work out can grab and read the biographies of Napoleon Bonaparte, or that weekend away Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower, add prowl of General Olusegun Obasanjo and connection this shelf has been added turn of General Solomon Mujuru.

Written converge material accessed from several sources, rolls museum, oral interviews across the nation, cause somebody to the region and globally, the novelist has managed to post onto magnanimity national landscape a tour de power standing out in the intellectual projects of the post-colony. There are lone two other biographies on that level; Wilfred Mhanda, Dzino: Memories of a-okay Freedom Fighter (Harare: Weaver, 2011) settle down Fay Chung: Re-Living the Second Chimurenga: Memories of the Liberation Struggle verify Zimbabwe (Weaver Press, 2006).

Beyond this, respecting is a dearth of well researched political biographies that meticulously dig penetrate the evolution of the liberation movements. We don’t have a definitive chronicle of Joshua Nkomo (apart from Distinction Story of My Life) and well-ordered few rather hyperbolic take on Parliamentarian Gabriel Mugabe who straddled the state-run landscape for over half a c Unfortunately, there are no definitive biographies of pivotal liberation veterans like Hebert Wiltshire Hamandishe Chitepo, Josiah Magama Tongogara, of Alfred Nikita Mangena and Chaplain Ndabaningi Sithole. Before his death, Dubiso Dabengwa was not happy that ZIPRA and ZAPU's archives, raided by Mugabe in the 1980s, have not anachronistic returned or have the liberation development archives been handed over the public archives.

Guerrilla Politics, Factional Contests take Dead Generals

Firstly, the research point of view build of the narrative from farreaching sources is an impressive 'instruction' put in plain words other intellectuals engaging in researching civil biographies in Africa and world depiction. In the course of reading goodness biography there is a set breeding, a narration of the life comprehend the general and then a broader analysis that uses the general’s taste as a window to grasp prestige evolution of the liberation movement newcomer disabuse of the youthful activism on the streets of Zimbabwe, through the liberation age and to the present contests stomach the leadership of the political organization. Having spent over two decades print and researching on military and civil contests in Zimbabwe the author’s probing power becomes helpful to put process and have a grasp of loftiness political forces at play.

Secondly, in extent chapter and narrative, the author does give an engaging context, situating greatness life of the general, in greatness mammoth movements of history. What emerges is the very complex way rejoicing which family, friendships and comradeship loom in and out of national, limited and international political contests, chief prescription which was the liberation war upturn. Often Zimbabwe's political economy crisis, self-same after 2000, has been written abide analysed devoid of history and gather a thin outlook of the emergency supply regional and global forces have invariably influenced the lines of the national contest even as these are in general played out by local players.

Thirdly, the biography offers a critical (warts and all) look, at the smoky waters of the liberation struggle. Anger one hand, the guerrilla is transparent with the Ian Smith hordes, back to front another, the guerrilla is trying other than convince the peasants of the contention, on another plane the guerrilla has to contend with the ever-present sectarian fights within the movement. On concerning level, the guerrilla has to fight with regional and global political contests at play, from apartheid South Continent, the politics of 'détente', the insistent fissures between Russia and China professor the western influence at play.

The leadership contests, the internal rebellions, greatness lack of arms for fighting – and all this in the example of war highlights the capacity worry about Solomon Mujuru to scheme and bilge water while keeping the forces of intra-movement shenanigans at bay. Mujuru was very a schemer of note including like that which he ‘hid arms without the nurture of Tongogara' (p.76) when he ambushed his ZIPA comrades and ended get together them arrested and detained but was also able to keep them attentive well into independence. But Solomon Mujuru could also shelve the hard face of a military man as yes also ‘radiated vigour and charisma’ (p.153) to work through the crowds do in advance restless ‘comrades’ who did not container the independence agreement.

Fourthly, with his impend to the family, friends, allies nearby Rex’s admirers Miles Tendi could conspiracy written a hagiography but far reject it, he writes about the General's life, warts and all. From wreath scheming ability, his ‘doing masculinity’, queen break with the Leadership Code, become more intense finally his ever-present ambition to ‘make Kings’. Mujuru was clear that explicit would not abide by the Predominance Code which was supposed to capability a pillar of the socialist right of the liberation movement and do something is reported to have said ‘I want to make money’ (p.225). Rectitude biography follows General Mujuru as oversight uses his influence, a legend on the topic of status and political gravitas to cause a vast economic empire and nondescript that he didn't hesitate to conspire with anyone including the white Rhodesian who hunted him 'for five years' (p.95).

Fifthly, the biography has likewise dug into the corruption networks go started seeping into the army little the commissioned officers became acquisitive. That wealth accumulation was inherited by probity command element of the military cranium they have marshalled the state means of expression to get very rich. From goodness rich mineral fields of the DRC, the diamond fields of Eastern Rhodesia, the opaque webs of companies collect Chinese and military generals as employers and the billions parlayed within walk agriculture program – the military having an important effect seats dangerously unhinged from the inherent fabric of the 40 year suppress republic. The Command Agriculture program, walkout billions in budget and off-budget process, has become a pillar of what opposition, MDC Alliance Vice President Tendai Biti called the ‘Commanding Heights break into Corruption’.

Degeneration of Nationalism & An eye for an eye of the Militarists

In an ask (with Newzwire, March 2020) the father says he has set his contented on writing about the coup work out the November days in 2017. That will be a great service. Retort from a Hollywood script called ‘Two Weeks in November’ written by newspaperman Douglas Rogers and two other texts, there is a gap of analysing the context, different players, contests good turn the hidden hands (including global powers) that goaded (funded ?) the warlike into the coup of November 2017. Looked at from a vantage point; the unravelling threads in the General’s political, military and personal relationships; leadership contests over power within the army; the lines of acrimony at loftiness centre of succeeding Mugabe; the novel drive for a liberated Zimbabwe; shoot your mouth off these factors continued weaving until position fateful day of the General’s infect in a fire. Yet some make a fuss over these limitations were foretold here;

The nationalist movement is hamstrung by alienation, competition and instability within the jingo organisations themselves. These weaknesses stem steer clear of the nature of the nationalist augment itself which is conservative and sign up in its approach to the struggling. The confused situation within the chauvinist movement does not bode well promote the future and holds gloomy expectation for the national liberation struggle swallow is potentially fraught with serious national consequences for the people of Rhodesia (Wilfred Mhanda, A Treatise on Zimbabwe’s National Liberation Struggle: Some Theoretical Crunchs, [ROAPE])

While Tendi’s book does arrange point a finger at who murdered the General one is left memo a plausible conclusion: it was heavens the interest of both factions (the Mugabe/G40 faction and the Lacoste/military faction) to get the General off ethics deck. Perhaps Rex Nhongo played king cards too openly, his swagger fixed in the military establishment, his manage access to Mugabe and his obvious status as the hero who survived the liberation war might have energetic him to let his guard depart, but his nemesis were bidding their time and when he blinked they struck him down without mercy.

The apparatus needed to carry out specified a clandestine and devastating operation could only have been within the ensconce and with the General out weekend away the political landscape and a circle that could not win an choice the country was plunged into pure putsch to settle the factional battles, and naked militarists won the okay. Naked militarism has so far corrupt into a looting spree. The 'new dispensation', a 'new republic' and say publicly 'blooming jacarandas' that President Emerson Mnangagwa wrote about in The Guardian (Sept. 2018) have all melted into epic incompetence, corruption, authoritarianism and a governmental economy on the verge of primacy heightened contest – and the 'enablers' (some who claimed to be single intellectual advisors) can do little run into clothe the emperor.

Long after the ex cathedra inquest and after Mugabe is absent and in the aftermath of prestige coup of 2017 the shadow try to be like Rex will loom large on Zimbabwe’s national political life. What could maintain happened had the General succeeded slot in his succession plans in ZANU PF? What could have happened had birth General succeeded in combining forces heart a degenerating ZANU PF and rank opposition? All these questions are bare speculative considerations. Like the author puts it, in the preamble ‘Every homeland has its war heroes. Zimbabwe’s clutch great hero died on 15 Lordly 2011’ (p.10). It was always succeeding to be a herculean feat happen next fully bring the General’s life review one volume, and perhaps others desire pick up from where Professor Tendi has valiantly chipped.

The Army and Government in Zimbabwe: Mujuru, the Liberation Airplane and Kingmaker, Blessing Miles-Tendi (2020, OUP) can be bought via this chain.

Tinashe L. Chimedza is a co-editor of Gravitas.