Everything about Herbert Chitepo totally explained
Herbert Wiltshire Chitepo (
15 June,
1923 –
18 March,
1975) led the
Zimbabwe African National Union until the
Central Intelligence Organization of
Rhodesia assassinated him in March 1975.
Chitepo became the first black citizen of Rhodesia to become a barrister.
Early years
Chitepo was born in Watsomba village in the Inyanga District of
Southern Rhodesia, now
Zimbabwe. His family came from the Manyika clan (Samanyika) of the
Shona tribe. He was educated at St David's Mission School, Bonda, St Augustine's School, Penhalonga and then at Adam's College,
Natal,
South Africa, where he qualified as a teacher in
1945.
Career
After teaching for a year, he resumed his studies to graduate with a BA degree from
Fort Hare University College in
1949. He qualified as a Barrister-at-Law, and called to the bar by
Gray's Inn, alumni included
Winston Churchill. Further still whilst in London as a research assistant at the
School of Oriental and African Studies. He was the first African in Southern Rhodesia to qualify as a Barrister. In 1954 Chitepo became Rhodesia's first black lawyer (a special law was required to allow him to occupy chambers with white colleagues). On returning to Rhodesia in
1954, he practised as a Lawyer and defended many African nationalists such as
Ndabaningi Sithole in court. In
1961, he served as legal adviser to
Joshua Nkomo, founder of the
Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU), at the Southern Rhodesia Constitutional Conference in London.
Ian Smith's government didn't detain him as he didn't come out in the open as an official of the nationalist movement and the regime also feared that being the first lawyer, Chitepo was too internationally well-known to be locked up.
ZANU
In May
1962 ZAPU was banned because of
militarism and Chitepo was persuaded to go into voluntary exile to escape possible detention. He became
Tanganyika's first African Director of Public Prosecutions. The
Ndabaningi Sithole and
Joshua Nkomo factions of ZAPU split apart in July,
1963, along tribal lines. Nkomo's supporters founded the PCC-ZAPU (later just called ZAPU again) and favoured a more militaristic approach. As the more moderate faction, Chitepo sided with Sithole and became Chairman of ZANU from its foundation. He held this post until
7 December,
1974, when the
Lusaka Accord was signed.
Both parties vied for domination but in
1964 both were banned and the leaders were all arrested. Both parties chose to leave the country and reorganize and form armies from outside Rhodesian borders, although they chose different countries to make their base. ZAPU based itself in the West and
Zambia where it organized ZIPRA (the
Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army.) They allied with the
Soviet Union and organised a vanguard of highly trained soldiers. ZANU, however, moved into
Tanzania and set up ZANLA (
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army) which concentrated more on mobilizing the masses in the countryside in a method pioneered by the Chinese.
In January
1966 Chitepo resigned as Director of Public Prosecutions and moved to
Zambia in order to concentrate on the armed struggle. He toured world capitals canvassing support for
ZANU and for the enforcement of total economic sanctions against Rhodesia. With his friendly disposition, he was very effective and earned for ZANU international recognition and respect.
Sithole and others prepared a comprehensive document giving powers to Chitepo to lead ZANU while Rev. Sithole was in detention and specifically authorising him to carry out the armed struggle. Accordingly, Herbert Chitepo with the military supremo
Josiah Tongogara from the Karanga ethnic community,organised and planned successful military guerilla attacks and underground activities in Rhodesia from
1966 onwards. In
1972, he co-ordinated war operations with FRELIMO and opened up the North Eastern region of Zimbabwe as a new and more effective war front.
Assassination
Chitepo died at 8:05am on
March 18,
1975 in
Lusaka,
Zambia when a car bomb, placed in his Volkswagen Beetle the night before, exploded. He and Silas Shamiso, one of his bodyguards, were killed instantly. Sadat Kufamadzuba, his other bodyguard, was injured. The explosion sent part of the car onto the roof of his house and uprooted a tree next door. Hours later one of his neighbors died of injuries he sustained in the explosion.
ZANU at the time blamed Rhodesian security forces.
Zambian president
Kenneth Kaunda commissioned an inquiry into Chitepo's death. Documents released in October,
2001, placed the blame on ZANU infighting. The report of the Special International Commission on the Assassination of Herbert Wiltshire Chitepo, commissioned by the Zambian government in 1976, lists as having been responsible for the killing: former Zanla commander
Josiah Tongogara; current
Zimbabwe home affairs deputy minister
Rugare Gumbo, who was then the secretary for information and publicity;
Henry Hamadziripi, who was then secretary for finance; as well as the then secretary for public and social welfare,
Kumbirai Kangai; and secretary for administration
Mukudzei Mudzi.
Veteran nationalist
James Chikerema, who with Chitepo was one of the founding members of ZAPU liberation movement before ZANU split away, said:
» "I knew Chitepo for years. He was murdered by [Josiah] Tongogara and the Karanga mafia,"http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/ar/ar_ze_016_2_eng.txt]
» "I saw Tongogara soon after Chitepo had been killed. We were at State House [inLusaka] on that morning of March 18. I said to him, 'You are a murderer. You will never get away with this.' Then I reached for my gun but the Zambian police got hold of me and stopped me. There would have been a shoot out there and then."
However, in his biographical account,
The Legend of The Selous Scouts, Lt Col Ron Reid-Daly, Officer Commanding, Selous Scouts Regiment, Rhodesian Security Forces, clearly states that the Rhodesian
Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) under the leadership of Director General
Ken Flower, masterminded the assassination of Herbert Chitepo, subsequently planting documentary evidence blaming ZANU members.
Further Information
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