MBABWE

MBABWE NEWS Nde Yedu "We Are Our Own Liberators Izimbabwe Nge Yethu VOL.4,No.2 FEBRUARY 8,1969 SUP,0EM LEADER AR ZIi.BAB ARI-iED STRUGJLE, iUDA-A1iIiGI SITHOLE. Detained in Spisbury Prison since early 1964, President Sithole is being tried in/fascist Rhodesian High Court on fabricated charges of plotting to assassinate Smith and company. ited and Published by: Zimbabwe African National Union. PQ Box 2331, Lusaka, ZAMBIA. istered at the General Post Office as a Newspaper.

FBW ,2EBRUARY 8, 1969 ICOMMIENT While the Portuguese colonialists use such devices as time bombs to murder their revolutionary adversaries, the Rhodesian fascists are employing the semi-legal method ofJftscist legality to achieve a similar end. For that is the only significant difference - a difference of style - between the dastardly murder this week of Bdwardo,,Mondlane by agents of Portuguese colonialism and the planned hanging of Ndabaningi Sithole by the fascist regime of Ian' Smith and company. President Sithole is being tried on two framed-up charges of ",inciting to murder" and "conspiring to commit murder". Both carry the death penalty. A third charge is that of contravening Section 29(1) of the Nazi-like "law and Order (Maintenance) Act. This too is a deliberate frame-up designed as an alternative for "getting" Sithole should ,the first two charges fail to achieve their purpose. The first two charges arise out of a letter President Sithole is alleged to have written from Salisbury jail last November ordering the assassination of "Physics","Logio" and"History". The prosecuting fascist alleges that these were code names for , Gestapo chief lardner- Burke and Jack Howman, the so-called External Affairs and Defence Minister. In point of fact Ndabaningi Sithole is being tried aimply for committing the "crime" of being a good, brave and effective revolutionary leader. The Rhodesian white fascists want him physically eliminated because every other device they have employed to neutralise or cower him down has failed. (continued on next page) ZIMBABWE NEWS, Page 2

ZIMBABwE NEWS, FEBRUARY 8,1969 Page 3 (continued from page 2) They believe that the only effectivc way of purging the Zimbabwe Liberation Movement of its relatively row revolutionary dynamism is to remove, by murder, the man most responsible for this dynamism: Ndabaningi Sithole. The fascists in will not be allowed to get away with their planned murder of our leader. If anything else the trial of this most dedicated leader has only served to show Zimbabweans that those true qualities of revolutionary leadership so ably displayed by our forefathers in the 1890-96 Chimurenga wars of resistance are not dead. For Sithole has shown the correct road - that of armed struggle - even though he has been looked up in jail for the last four years. It is now for us, the people of Zimbabwe,to follow hie courageous example with even more resolve. PEOPLE CROWD SITHOLE COURT From A Special Correspondent From last Monday when the trial began the galleries of Salisbury High Court have been filled to capacity with grin-faocd supporters of President Sithole. Some, including women with babies at their backs, had travelled from as far away as Fort Victoria to attend the trial. However, the majority of the people could not find places in the crowded court room, but were content to maintain a vigil outside the court room for, some say, as long as the trial lasts. The crowds have been disciplined for the most part, although five people are said to have been arrested on Tuesday after fascist police began taking photographs of those (continued on page 4)

ZIMI~BAB WZS. +'-7FRY 8,1969 Page 4 ( continued from page 3) gathered outside the courtroom. Meanwhile there are reports of unorganised trouble in many rural areas including Chipinga, where President Sithole comes fromp but the fascist rivspapers which are on strict orders to "avoid inciting racial feelings" have remained silent. "MR. X11: THE BIOGRAPHY OF A TRAITOR FROM OURF CORR',PN)7iT "Mr. X", the, Salishuvry perjuu. who has featured prominantly in the trial of President Sithole, is in fact a 32 year-old father of three childr-r who lives in Highfield township, Salisbury. Although his real name s- "-emains a closely guarded secret, an informant has given a few details about this treacherous man; includirg his name which we promi'sed not to publish until a later date. According to this information, "X" - J a self-employed dealer in second-hand clothes. His friends claim he is a " most fluent liar" who only this yea- embezzled "large" sums of money from the Salisbury-based Peoples Christian Association by lying his way into a leadership position in that organisation Last October "X" wrote a letter to an Umtali friend claiming to be doing a "very profitable" job in Salisbury. Would the Umtali friend like to join "X" as a "business partner"? In the same letter he also claimed possession of "thousands" of pounds which "the missionacries" allegedly gave him to do relief work in the African Reserves. (coni-Inued on next page)

ZIMBABWE NEWS, FEBRUARY 8,1969 Page 5 (continued from page 4) However, "X's" former friends believe that no relief organisatiom would have given this man "thousands" of pounds to use in the draught-stricken African Rural Areas because the man knew nothing about these areas. They strongly suspect that "X" got his "thousands" from CID Superintendent Rattray to try and uncover the under-ground activities of ZANU. This detective Rattray is the man who is said to have broken his way into the home, an African womane"Mrs Y"), dropping a whole file of forged letters which were later claimed to have been found in her suitcase& But on Tuesday, "Mirs X" epatically declared in the fascist High Court:" I read in the morning newspaper that Iama spy, but a spy is a devil and lam not a spy". She denied having carried any messages from Salisbury Prison on behalf of President Sithole. Meanwhile "Mr.X" is being kept in "protective custody" somewhere in white Salisbury for fear that he might be killed for giving false testimony against President Sithole whom he has never met in his life. Both "X" and his family left their Highfield home shortly before comrade Sithole was removed to Goromonzi Prison last November. ARMED CAMP FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT Salisbury has never seen so many armed policemen as are presently "keeping the peace" during President Sithole's trial. Tight security measures were imposed as early as Sunday; a-day before the trial was to begin. Most of the policemen are concentrated in the African townships whore 4 are they patrol at night. S4iclar measures in force throughout the country. There were reports during the week that the

FEBRUARY 8,1969 army garrisons at Inkomo near Salisbury and Llewellin Barracks near Bulawayo had been put on alert in the event of serious trouble occurring during or after the trial. ERDWARDO MONDIANE The assassination last Monday of Prelimo leader Edwardo Mondlane was a dastardly and cowardly act committed by the enemies of the Southern Africa liberation movement. By murdering Mcndlane, the Potuguese colonialists must have idly hoped for the collapse of his organisation and the entire armed struggle in Mozambique. There can be no doubt that Portugal's friends elsewhere in Southern Africa are looking forward to the collapse of morale among freedomfighters following the murder of Dr. Mondlane. We must disappoint both the Portuguese colonialists and their fascist friends in Rhodesia, Namibia, and South Africa by intensifying the armed effort. We must show these white fascist hangmen in Southern Africa that the assassination or hanging of individual leaders will neither destroy the liberation movement nor the fighting spirit of our peoples. However, the assassination, as President Kaunda has correctly advised, must serve as a warning against the daily machinatio4 of the common enemy: We must increase our revolutionary vigilance and tighten-up the security of our movements, for it would not help our revolutionary cause if the enemy were in future to repeat a similarly dastardly act with impunity. page 6 ZIMBABWE NEWS,