•SAIMBWENDE

ON October 23, 1964 the Zambian flag was raised signifying the birth?of a new country with Kenneth Kaunda becoming the first Republican?president.
The major political parties then included the United National Independence Party (UNIP), African National Congress (ANC) and United Party (UP), among others.
The UNIP and Kaunda regime allowed pluralistic politics in which?different political parties were free to participate in elections until the rapturous signing of the Choma Declaration in 1973 by President Kaunda to revert to one party State system of governance.
Some political parties such as the UP which was headed by Nalumino?Mundia who himself had crossed paths with his erstwhile friends in?UNIP, were formed.?The UP had political figures such as Adamson Mushala who became the?party national secretary in 1968.
The one party State was seemingly not appreciated by some sections of?the society and a revolt by Mushala was then staged against President?Kaunda’s UNIP Government.
The signing of the Choma Declaration seemingly annoyed some politicians and this paved the way for rebel leader Mushala and a number of his men to leave for South Africa and Namibia for asylum, after his return from China where he had gone for military training.
According to Alexandar Ndandu Saimbwende, who was second in command and a freedom fighter, Mushala was a leader of a guerilla warfare whose aim?was to fight the one party system of government he abhorred.
In an interview with this author at his village in Mwinilunga recently, Mr Saimbwende shared his views on what had transpired in Zambia in the past 5O years as the country celebrates its independence and how he was recruited by Mushala.
Mr Saimbewnde was born in 1948 in Saimbwende Village of Chief Kanyama?in Mwinilunga. He married two wives and has 16 children.?He went to Kapundu Primary School in 1965 and completed his lower primary education before his transfer to Samuteba Primary School for his?Grades 5-7.
In 1972, he failed to make it to form I.?As a Grade Seven drop out, young Saimbwende roamed around for jobs until he secured one as a bar manager for a Mr William Malenji and subsequently as a storekeeper in Ndola’s Northrise Township, where he worked from 1972 to 1976.
The insatiable love for higher education haunted him until he enrolled?for evening classes but discontinued due to ill health.?Around 1976, he moved to Kitwe where he did some manual jobs, while he?searched for his cousin who was a charcoal burner residing in Luano area between Kitwe and Chingola.?As was the case in the UNIP Government, it was mandatory to carry a?Green National Registration Card (NRC).
Armed with his NRC, Mr Saimbwende left for Luano from Chambeshi’s Mine township and half way to Luano, he met a group of armed men.?Unknown to him, this was the group he was to serve with commitment for?15 years.?He was stopped and the leader identified himself as Adamson Mushala.
Not knowing his destination or his fate, Mr Saimbwende was forcefully?recruited and taken to the Democratic Supreme Council (DSC) and all?his credentials were taken away from him and was threatened with the?decimation of his own relatives in Mwinilunga.
Later his national registration card was burnt to ashes and the group?then marched to Impeti near Mimbulafitula where they camped for two?nights before resuming their journey.?When they were near Mushindamo, the Mushala group clashed with a?platoon of paramilitary Police sent to intercept them.
In the exchange of fire, Yotham Chimwanga was wounded on January 11, 1977.?The first clash Mr Saimbwende encountered with their group and the?Zambia Army soldiers was on August 13, 1977 in Munsoweji area.?For more than eight months before his capture, Mr Saimbwende and others?never received basic training in guerilla tactics.
‘‘The guerillas could sometimes number up to 500 and sometimes a good?number of them could surrender and the number would dwindle to only?50. In terms of food, well wishers used to give us food, hence we never had any shortage,’’ said Mr Saimbwende.
He explained that some people who wanted the one party State used to?alert the security wings about the guerilla group’s whereabouts, but?the majority of the people in areas of Copperbelt and North-Western?provinces supported their cause.?After losing most of his staunch members of his rebel group around?June 1981, Mushala mounted a massive recruitment campaign in places?such as his homestead of Kasempa and the surrounding areas.
However, on November 26, 1982, Mushala who was the leader of the?Democratic Supreme Council was gunned down by the security wings.?After the obliteration of the head of the rebel movement, many pundits?of the UNIP took a fettered robust at the invincibility of his party?policies.
With the death of Mushala, Mr Saimbwende took over as the leader of?his guerilla group. However, around the month of May 1987, his?leadership began to be questioned and a wrangle erupted developing in?the formation of parallel camps.?In 1990, President Kaunda asked Mr Saimbwende to surrender as the call?for democracy he was fighting for was what everyone wanted at that?time in Zambia.
At first, Mr Saimbwende doubted the news of the amnesty, but the news?became more pronounced when in July 1990, Alexander Kamalando, who was a Member of the Central Committee (MCC) for North-Western Province?addressed a meeting at Chief Mwinyilamba’s palace where he urged people to communicate with Mr Saimbwende about the pardon.
Later then Prime Minister Malimba Masheke repeated the appeal during?his tour of Mwinilunga District in August 1990.?On September 14, 1990, Mr Saimbwende together with his household left?Muminini camp to hand himself over and on September 18, 1990, he was?given a letter written by Chief Kanyama urging the leader of the party?which had changed to Democratic Revolution Movement (DEREMO) to?surrender.
Finally, on September 25, 1990, Mr Saimbwende secretly surrendered?himself to the MCC North-Western Province – to Mr Kamalondo and was?flown to meet President Kaunda at State House.?The amnesty brought hope and salvation to many although some continued?to resent the detentions they underwent.
At last, freedom was secured and the time to forget the past and build?on the future had come.?With the past behind, Mr Saimbwende now has an important message on?the country’s 50 years of jubilee of independence celebrations of 2014.
‘‘For the past 50 years of self-rule, we have never had any wars. We?have seen how some of our neighbours have been ravaged with wars and?insecurity but not in Zambia.
“This, therefore, means that we are a?blessed country.?We need to continue leaving in peace and harmony even in many years?to come. For us to continue having this peace, we need to celebrate because even the Israelites as it is written in the Bible, they used to do so when they reached 50 years’’, said Mr Saimbwende.
Mr Saimbwende appealed to politicians to put aside their political differences and celebrate this year’s Golden Jubilee of independence, stressing that there is unity in togetherness.
“The top leadership in various political parties should be in the?forefront of fostering unity, peace, love and co-existence because its?like in a family – if the parents are always fighting each other and?there is no love the children are the ones who will be affected,”?observed Mr Saimbwende.
He paid tribute to some of the freedom fighters from North-Western?Province who include the late Peter Matoka, Rhodes Mangangu, Humphrey?Mulemba, Alina Nyikosa and Fines Bulawayo, among others.
‘‘We had many gallant men and women who lost their lives during the?struggle for Zambia’s independence and besides that the colonial?masters used to treat the indigenous Zambians like dogs… black people?would buy goods through the window, while only white and coloured?people were allowed to enter and buy from inside the shops,’’ explained Mr Saimbwende.
He appealed to the Government through President Michael Sata to help?him financially so that he could buy some iron sheets for the muddy?house that he is building.
He also suggested that an account be opened so that well wishers can?deposit money for freedom fighters who are living in misery and abject?poverty, especially in rural areas.
‘‘The UNIP Government under former President Kaunda promised to buy me?a house, tractor and money, but unfortunately, I never received anything. The MMD Government also promised me the same things but nothing happened despite being assured by former presidents Levy Mwanawasa and Rupiah Banda,’’ said Mr Saimbwende.
Mr Saimbwende thanked all the former presidents for upholding Zambia’s?founding leader Dr Kaunda’s Motto- ‘‘One Zambia, One Nation’’.