Sithole aides shot as guerrillas condemn moderates

Press, 12 August 1978, Page 8

Sithole aides shot as guerrillas condemn moderates

NZPA Salisbury Two top aides of one of the black Rhodesian leaders, the Rev. Ndabaningi Sithole, have been shot dead, apparently by black nationalist guerrillas, while on a peace mission in a remote north-east border area, according to reports in Salisbury.

The deaths of Mr Sithole’s aides mean 49 party officials or supporters of moderate black leaders in the bi-racial transitional Government have been killed in the last three months. Meanwhile the guerrilla forces of Robert Mugabe have vowed to execute the three black moderate leaders now governing Rhodesia with the white Prime Minister, (Mr lan Smith). A military spokesman said the two men, William Takavarsha and Richard Metewa, had been murdered by terrorists. Mr Metewa, who returned to Rhodesia last year after completing a doctorate in history at Oxford University, was a research fellow at the University of Rhodesia. The bodies of the men, who were shot, were found early on Wednesday by Government troops in the Rushinga area, 250 km north-east of Salisbury and on the border with Mozambique, the military spokesman said. He would give no other details. Nationalist sources said Mr Takavarasha, a national organising secretary in Mr Sithole’s party and Mr Metewa had been in the Rushinga area for nearly two weeks establishing contact with guerrillas as part of the transitional Government’s cease-fire bid.

The newspaper of the Zimbabwe African National Union has said Bishop Abel Muzorewa, Mr Sithole, and Chief Jeremiah Chirau had become enemies of the

people “from the moment their greedy hands signed the Judas contract” (the internal settlement last March setting up an interim Government). “That is why we firmly hold to the view that Sith-

ole, Muzorewa and Chirau will have to die,” said the “Zimbabwe News.” Both Mr Mugabe, whose forces are based in Mozambique, and his partner in the Patriotic Front Guerrilla Alliance, Joshua Nkomo, based in Zambia, have -rejected the March pact. Mr Nkomo is willing to attend an all-party conference on Rhodesia, his repre-

sentative in Salisbury has said. But Mr Nkomo still believed his guerrilla forces could win their bush war against the Salisbury Government by the end of the year. Britain and the United States are attempting to bring the Rhodesian transitional Government around the conference table with the Patriotic Front Alliance, headed by Mr Nkomo and Mr Mugabe. The Salisbury Government plans to take over up to 4 million hectares of underused white-owned farmland, mainly to relieve overcrowding in black tribal reservations, it was announced on Thursday. The move will clearly include holdings abandoned by white farmers because of attacks by black nationalist guerrillas. The farms will be bought from their absent owners, at an estimated cost of about SI6OM. Former members of the security forces — black and white — will get preference as new settlers. Other settlers will be chosen from blacks or whites already farming on privately owned land and advanced farmers in the communally owned reservations.