⚔️🇿🇼 *The Chitungwiza Clashes of 1980: Cold War Shadows & Colonial Ghosts* 💣🇿🇼 🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼 🇿🇼 *History of Zimbabwe Myths & Truths Villaedge* 🇿🇼 https://chat.whatsapp.com/Hb01mf4Q7O5JaeeWmdiD6b *📅 21 November 1980* Six people died in clashes between ZANU and ZAPU guerrillas in Chitungwiza, a township near Harare. This violence erupted just months after Zimbabwe’s independence in April 1980, exposing not only internal rivalries but also the lingering hand of colonial powers and Cold War geopolitics. *Context: A Fragile Peace & Foreign Interference* After defeating colonial rule, ZANU (led by Robert Mugabe) and ZAPU (led by Joshua Nkomo) became rivals in the new Zimbabwe. While ideological and ethnic tensions (ZANU’s Shona base vs. ZAPU’s Ndebele support) played a role, *external forces deepened the divide*: - *Britain’s Fear of Soviet Influence*: Nkomo’s ZAPU had strong ties to the Soviet Union, which funded and armed its liberation struggle. Britain, the former colonizer, viewed a Soviet-aligned Zimbabwe as a threat to Western interests in Southern Africa. - *Mugabe’s “Preferred” Leadership*: Though Mugabe initially learned Marxist, Britain and the U.S. saw him as a lesser evil compared to Nkomo. Declassified files reveal British diplomats privately pushed to marginalize ZAPU, fearing Soviet expansion. *The Myths* 1. *"It Was Just Tribal Fighting"* - *Myth*: The clashes were ethnic (Shona vs. Ndebele). - *Truth*: Politics and *foreign agendas* fueled the fire. Britain’s Cold War paranoia and Mugabe’s ambition converged to sideline ZAPU, painting Nkomo as a “Soviet puppet.” 2. *"The Violence Was Isolated"* - *Myth*: Chitungwiza was an isolated incident. - *Truth*: It sparked nationwide unrest, escalating into the *Gukurahundi genocide (1983–1987)*, where Mugabe’s forces massacred ~20,000 ZAPU-linked civilians. 3. *"Independence Meant Freedom"* - *Myth*: Liberation ended foreign interference. - *Truth*: Britain’s meddling ensured Zimbabwe’s leadership aligned with Western interests, not grassroots sovereignty. *Why It Matters* - *Human Cost*: Civilians in Chitungwiza paid the price—killed, displaced, or traumatized by proxy wars. - *Colonial Continuity*: Britain’s fear of Soviet influence echoed its colonial tactics: divide, destabilize, and control. - *Cold War Legacy*: Africa’s liberation movements became pawns in global power struggles, undermining true autonomy. *Villaedge Reflection* Did Zimbabwe trade Rhodesian colonialism for neo-colonial puppet strings? How much did foreign powers shape Mugabe’s rise—and Nkomo’s fall? *🔍 Sources*: * Declassified UK Foreign Office files, *The Scramble for Zimbabwe* (Stephen Chan), ZAPU wartime memos. *#zimhistoryunfiltered #coldwarcolonialism #decolonisehistory #mythsvstruths* *Next week: How Britain’s Lancaster House Agreement Sabotaged Land Reform.* *Question power. Always. ✊🏾* Follow @RozviVillaedge on X for more ... https://x.com/RozviVillaedge?t=Xct-Uwpjjykv368RICAH_g&s=09 🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼🇿🇼