Zimbabwe Remembers Chimoio Massacre as Survivors Recount 1977 Horror

Zimbabwe yesterday commemorated the Chimoio Massacre, the 1977 attack in Mozambique where Rhodesian forces killed thousands of freedom fighters and refugees in one of the liberation struggle’s darkest moments.

Former commander Cde Midson Mupasu, known as Bethuni, said the raid began at dawn with a deceptive aircraft painted with a red cross, followed by Canberra bombers and paratroopers who surrounded the camp. “It was a coordinated, ruthless assault,” he said.

Cde Ishmael Mada, who was at the nearby Takawira 2 training base, recalled jets approaching from the north before the first bomb hit the centre of the parade ground. “Our air defence did what it could, but the bombing went on the whole day. It was a total massacre,” he said.

November 23 now stands as a solemn reminder of the brutality of the Rhodesian regime and the sacrifices made for Zimbabwe’s freedom, a symbol of resistance, courage and the struggle that led to independence three years later.