Zimbabwe’s rich history would be incomplete if it negates special mention of the brave men and women who fought valiantly for independence. Today I will share about a man whose name remains etched in our memory, our own ache Guevara.

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Our hero for today is Josiah Magama Tongogara, affectionately known as General Tongo. Tongogara grew up living in Shurugwi, on a farm which was owned by Ian Smith's parents.

Tongogara's parents were employed at this farm & subsequently Tongogara became an employee on that same farm. He was educated up to standard six & after failing to be enrolled for his secondary education, he left the country for Northern Rhodesia (present-day Zambia).

This was in 1960. Whilst in Northern Rhodesia, Tongogara studied book-keeping & after completing his studies, he was employed the following year as a secretary at a golf club known as Chainama.

Tongogara’s brother, Percy, drowned in the Kafue River & he believed that this was a result of political foul play. It was his brother’s death that motivated him to join nationalist movements to ultimately become the political-cum-military genius he’s famed for being.

It was in 1963 whilst in Zambia working in Zanu-PF’s youth wing that he began his revolutionary activities whilst waiting to go to China to receive military training. When he completed training, in 1966 he led the first group of people that had completed training in China.

In 1973 he deposed Herbert Chitepo to become leader of the high command. It’s important to note the tribal tussle that was at play here as the Karangas were moving to ouster the Manyikas in Zanu-PF’s supreme structures. This propelled Tongogara to become-

-Commander of ZANLA altogether. In December 1974 Kenneth Kaunda as President of Zambia engineered peace talks to end the liberation struggle & lead to independence but Tongogara firmly opposed this. In 1975 he was arrested & detained in Zambia.

His arrest in April was after the assassination of Herbert Chitepo in March, who at the time was Zanu Chairman. The Zambian government was convinced that Chitepo was killed by members of his own party. There are a few theories surrounding his-

-death but we will touch on this another time. Tongogara was then acquitted in 1976 & even attended the Geneva Conference that same year. But before then, he had signed an agreement for the establishment of a joint military force to be called the-

-Zimbabwe People’s Army (ZIPA) which was composed of ZANLA (military wing of Zanu) & ZIPRA (military wing of Zapu). Fast forward to 1979, he was amongst the attendees to the Lancaster House Agreement. Here’s a fun fact:-

-During negotiations Robert Mugabe told Lord Carrington to go to hell because he had made dubious demands on behalf of Ian Smith’s regime. It was Tongogara that calmed Mugabe down so the proceedings could go on

Tongogara was a brilliant political and military mind, more of a visionary as most circles would describe him. He was in support of fostering unity between Zanu-PF & Zapu, he even held “secret” meetings with Joshua Nkomo & this led to his untimely death.

The myths surrounding his death are quite several, from those who were close friends to those who were colleagues, to those who investigated the case & those who attended to his cadaver. One thing that stands out is that there was more to his death than met the eye.

His children narrated how they only saw images of a burnt body & his wife Angelina in 2012 expressed her bitterness in how Zanu-PF handled the case. Of interest to note were the sentiments shared by the “Black Russian” Dumiso Dabengwa in June 2018.

He believed the death was an inside job because Tongogara stood as an obstacle to Mugabe’s ascendancy. Tongogara believed that Joshua Nkomo was a natural leader with focus whilst Mugabe would serve better as an administrator or even secretary of the Patriotic Front.

He was pretty much angry that it was decided for the issue to be settled once people arrived home from London (Lancaster House Conference), whilst he wanted it done there given all relevant stakeholders including the military were represented.

In 2012 his wife Angelina is rumored to have met the then Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to ask for help as she was struggling to make ends meet because government turned a blind eye on her. Zanu-PF then funded the Tongogara Legacy Foundation.

As part of recognizing him, the King George Army Barracks was renamed to Josiah Tongogara Barracks in December 2017 in an event presided over by President Mnangagwa after in 2012 government had refused the request to make 26 December Josiah Magama Tongogara Day.

There are many myths surrounding the man, but one thing that’s not disputed is what a great leader he was and the sheer potential he possessed to be even more. I remember how he said “we aren’t chasing the whites away, we are just switching positions with them.” #KnowYourHistory