Former Zipra instructor Grace Ethel Noko (56) remains an unsung heroine despite having played a pivotal role in the war and the liberation struggle against Ian Smith's racist regime.
Unlike many of her male colleagues, Noko was never rewarded for her role. She was never given a farm. She was never assigned to a top post or high rank in the country‘s police or army. Like the majority of ordinary Zimbabweans, she continues to wallow in abject poverty.
“Some of the male cadres with whom I trained were rewarded with high ranks in the army and they are now well off. Others were allocated A1 farms – but women like myself received nothing,” an embittered Noko told The Zimbabwean.
Brigadier General Sibusiso Moyo is just one of many male Zipra cadres trained by this heroic woman, who hails from Halisupi area in Gwanda district. She crossed into Botswana in 1975 together with three others and was taken to Nampundwe Transit Camp in Zambia
”I was only 15 years old when I left this country together with my nephew and two other youths from the same area. Initially, many others wanted to join the liberation struggle, but they got scared at the last minute,” said Noko, whose guerrilla name was Grace 'Muchichi'.
Church business
After crossing the Shashe River, the four proceeded to Noko‘s aunt in Gobojango in Botswana where they pretended to be on church business. After a few days they linked up with Zipra cadres responsible for moving recruits to Zambia for military training.
“Before we got to Zambia, we stayed at several holding camps in Botswana. We stayed at Selibe-Phikwe Prison and a ZAPU house in Blue Town where we were joined by other girls from Beit Bridge. We shared the house with trained guerrillas,” she recalled.
In December 1975, Noko and nine other girlls were among a group of recruits recommended to receive military training in Zambia. After a few months at Nampundwe Transit Camp, they were moved to the Mwembeshi military training camp some 200 kilometres from Lusaka.
No discrimination
“The training course was designed for everyone regardless of gender. There was no discrimination. We trained in various military aspects such as judo, combat tactics, the use of various fire arms and political orientation,” said Noko.
When Zipra and Zanla formed the Zimbabwe People’s Army (ZIPA) in 1975, Noko and the rest of her group were moved to Mgagao in Tanzania. While there, the two military groups clashed resulting in her group being transferred to Morogoro where they resumed training.
After training, Noko and another female cadre, Thoriso Phiri, were appointed instructors at Mwembeshi where they trained new recruits. In 1977, after several months at Mwembeshi, the two instructors were deployed to Victory Camp, a transit camp facility for female recruits. Nampundwe was reserved for males.
Noko was also one of a group of 20 sent to Cuba by the party in 1977. Here she specialised in military intelligence. Upon her return to Zambia in September 1978, she was deployed at the Zapu headquarters in Lusaka, where she worked under the late Vice-President John Nkomo.
Secretarial studies
Other people she worked with include Hazel, the wife of the Zanu (PF) national spokesperson, Simon Khaya Moyo, the officer-in-charge of Magwegwe police station as well as former deputy minister of Home Affairs, Obert Matshalaga, and the late Chenjerai Hunzvi.
After independence she joined the special constabulary in the police force, but later left and pursued secretarial studies. She joined the ZEDCO group of colleges owned by Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and retired from the college in December 2014.
Today Noko, a single mother with two children, is bitter because many of the aspirations of the liberation struggle have not been fulfilled.
“I am really disappointed that a lot of people who were never involved in the struggle are now enjoying the fruits of the sacrifices that we made. We offered our lives for the struggle, but unlike politically connected people, some of us were never accorded the status or given the rewards that we fought for and that we deserve,” she said.
Post published in: Gender Equality