Arms caches belonged to Umkonto Wesizwe - Zipra members reveal

Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (Zipra) has disclosed that arms caches found at it properties in the early 1980s belonged to Umkhonto Wesizwe (MK) of South Africa.

MK is an wing of African National Congress in South Africa.

Zipra says when it surrendered the  arms at Brady Barracks in Bulawayo as per requirement  "they could not surrender MK'S arms as well".

This was revealed by former member Cetshwayo Sithole in Bulawayo.

"It was true we kept the arms. We were keeping Umkonto Wesizwe's arms," said Sithole.

"When we surrendered our arms at Brady Barracks , we couldn't surrender MK's arms as well. The truth must be known. We had kept the arms. Dumiso Dabengwa and the late Lookout Masuku just kept quiet about it in court, " added Sithole to Zapu youth's.

With the discovery of the arms, then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe unleashed a crack Firth Brigade in Matabeleland and Midlands accusing ex Zipra combatants of plotting to topple his regime.

That crackdown led to the death of close to 20 000 civilians, predominantly Ndebele speaking leaving thousands injured.

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