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served mainly as a Zanu detention camp. It is where nationalist leaders such as
President Mugabe, the late Cde Simon Muzenda, Cde Enos Nkala, Cde Eddison Zvobgo, Cde Edgar Tekere and many others were detained at the height of nationalist revolts while most of those from the Zapu side were detained at Wha Wha and Gonakudzingwa.
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The
Sikombela Restriction Camp, where President Mugabe and other founding Zanu officials were detained during the liberation war, has been declared a national monument. Other senior Zanu officials detained at the camp in 1964 were Cdes Simon Muzenda, Edgar Tekere, Enos Nkala, Eddison Zvobgo and
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Local people say war collaborators like Joel Tessa were not easily detected by the then security forces because
Sikombela Restriction Camp was deep in Mapfungautsi State Forest where predators were rife and no one would dare visit the camp at will. War collaborators took advantage of the weakness of
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Like
Gonakudzingwa, at Sikombela there was initially minimal surveillance of detainees. Informants recall that prior to November 1965, Rhodesian police only visited the detention camp once or twice a week to deliver food rations and perform roll-calls. There was less need for constant supervision
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Various service delivery facilities serving the whole of Zhombe, including
Council offices, District Development Fund Workshops, Zimbabwe National Water Authority workshops, Zhombe Police Station, The Grain Marketing Board, Registrar General Sub-Offices and Post Office, are located at the Centre.
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The oppressive white regime established three major centres of detention at Wha Wha in Gweru's
Midlands Province in February 1964, Gonakudzingwa in Chiredzi district of Masvingo Province in April of the same year and Sikombela in Gokwe South district in Midlands Province in June 1965. Sikombela
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and his secretary Miriam
Mhlanga were some of the people whose whereabouts remain unknown. Their death is only an assumption. Joel Tessa, a less prominent figure in politics then, is assumed to have met with the same fate, for he has not been heard of since the days of the Sikombela Declaration
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Joel
Business Centre, in Zhombe Central ward, is named in honour of Joel Tessa, one of the pioneer businessmen at the centre during the 1960s. Tessa was one of the first shop owners at Zhombe Centre, also known as Zhombe Growth Point or Zhombe Joel. He is thought to have died during the
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It was however not long before the authorities suspected foul play and stiffened conditions. Joel is thought to have been caught up by the
Rhodesian Intelligence when their suspicions were aroused about activities at Sikombela Restriction Camp.
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Ndabaningi
Sithole. It is at this restriction camp where the Sikombela Declaration — a dossier outlining war strategy — was drafted by senior Zanu officials. The camp is located about 5km from the Kwekwe-Gokwe Road in the Midlands province.
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the security forces in this area and they worked well with the inmates at Sikombela. Local people supporting the liberation war visited the restriction camp regularly, the authorities seemingly allowing frequent interaction at first.
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There was a restriction or detention camp for suspected and proven influential political activists called Sikombela, north of Zhombe centre, which had been established in June 1965. It was mainly a detention camp for cadres aligned to
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I felt a deep sense of contentment that for once my great father Dr Edison Sithole's legacy would not be reduced to that Zimbabwean fire brand nationalist who suddenly vanished from the streets of colonial Salisbury. (Edson Sithole
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However, it was not long before the Rhodesians sensed that something was going on. They had noticed that the mood among the detainees had changed. They then conducted searches, starting at 4am, as they suspected that something was
173:. This camp is now a national monument. Joel Tessa is known to have collaborated with the Sikombela inmates and served as a courier of top secret errands. Edson Muzite refers to him as "Jewel", a Rhodesia Bush War collaborator; a
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as they were called. Edison Mzite is one of the less prominent ex-detainees of Sikombela Restriction Camp Muzite credits Joel Tessa as a comrade in arms as far as top secrecy is concerned.
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Some surviving Sikombela Restriction Camp ex-detainees that included Cdes Solomon Marembo, Samson Maphosa, Thomas Ziki, Solomon Gwitira and Edison Mzite, toured the camp...
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There are no primary schools at the center; pupils go to St Martin de Porres Primary School about 3 km southeast and some to Champeni about the same distance northwest.
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The major hurdle was overcoming the long distance. It would be difficult to walk, so I devised a plan with a shop-owner in the area who we called Jewel.
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At both Gonakudzingwa and Sikombela, detainees at first freely interacted with local people, went to beer drinks and dances] agrarianstudies.
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I kept praying to my ancestors to guide me and ensure I would not fail. And, indeed, I pulled off the mission with Jewel's assistance.
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is the location of district administrative offices, parliamentary advisory offices, the post office and police station in the town of
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409:"Political detainees and the liberation struggle: Part Three …a look at Sikombela and Wha Wha detention centres"
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Transport is solely by road, and there is a good road network linking Zhombe to the surrounding major towns
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ticket. In council books Joel Business Center is named Zhombe and classified as a district service centre.
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Many war collaborators during the bush war disappeared from the public and many have never been traced.
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because, like Gonakudzingwa, no detainee would dare to escape via the jungle with dangerous animals.
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432:"Nationalism and Self-Government in Rhodesian Detention Gonakudzingwa 1964-1974"
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runs this centre. It is represented by a male (Ward 10) councillor on a
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Zhombe Constituency 2006. pp12. Diagram1. Rio Tinto High
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This article is about the town. For the district, see
297:"Gonakudzingwa hearth of defiance and war strategy"
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257:All the three major cellphone operators, namely
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482:"HEROES DAY: The seed planted at Sikombela"
387:"HEROES DAY: The seed planted at Sikombela"
343:"HEROES DAY: The seed planted at Sikombela"
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365:"Sikombela declared national monument"
320:"Sikombela declared national monument"
541:Yumpu.com | Retrieved 26 January 2016
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528:, Pindula, retrieved 26 January 2016
363:Takunda Maodza (August 28, 2013).
318:Takunda Maodza (August 28, 2013).
269:, have base stations in the town.
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273:Other service delivery facilities
503:Sifelani Tsiko (20 March 2015).
407:Elliot Siamonga (15 May 2015).
245:the main carriageway being the
505:"Unisa honours Edison Sithole"
295:Vincent Gono (12 April 2015).
202:Zibagwe Rural District Council
125:Zibagwe Rural District Council
55:Township in Midlands, Zimbabwe
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480:Kuda Bwititi (12 July 2015).
385:Kuda Bwititi (12 July 2015).
341:Kuda Bwititi (12 July 2015).
558:Populated places in Zimbabwe
218:Rio Tinto Zhombe High School
143:and 77 km southeast of
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41:18.677197°S 29.34916°E
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430:Jocelyn Alexambder.
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509:The Herald
441:25 January
369:The Herald
324:The Herald
282:References
32:29°20′57″E
29:18°40′38″S
193:Dossier.
552:Category
537:Parlzim
491:brewing.
108:District
101:Midlands
96:Province
89:Zimbabwe
70:Township
212:Schools
206:Zanu-PF
175:mujibha
85:Country
267:NetOne
259:Econet
243:Kadoma
235:Kwekwe
141:Kwekwe
137:Zhombe
18:Zhombe
514:Jnr.)
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