Mike,, well done on sifting through all that.

Interesting indication of Dzimbanhete's selective cherry picking is Parker as a source.

I did not bother to read Parker's book as my information was that Parker himself was not what he claimed to be.

Nevertheless, Dzimbanhete gleefully grasps Parker supplied evidence that Rhodesian Forces killed a priest ... while at the same time discarding Parker's reports of grotesque atrocities by the insurgents.

The man can't have it both ways.

But the great sadness is that first the Journal and then some individuals take this clown seriously.


Quote Originally Posted by jmm99 View Post
This post deals with this text from Dzimbanhete's SWJ article:

The Aluka Database has two relevant entries (both interviews in 1998; abstracts only; text behind paywall). The first interview covered the period from 1976-1980 at Berejena Mission:

The second interview, dealing with Fr Huesser's death, comes later.

The second source for 1976 events at Berejena are the Catholic Herald archives, from which we learn quite a bit, as in this article:

Liberation Theology is at its clearest in the sister's comments above. Here is her article, GUERILLA WARFARE IN RHODESIA, New Blackfriars Volume 57, Issue 678, pages 499–505, November 1976 (first page only; the rest is behind a paywall).

So, from at least 1976 on into 1980, Berejena Mission provided material support to the guerrillas (a possible motive for the government to act harshly); but the Berejena area was subject to intense inter-party conflict between ZAPU and ZANU supporters (a possible motive for either guerrilla faction to act harshly toward the other faction's supporters). As Sr Weinrich said ... "neutrality does not exist."

Immediately after Fr Huesser's death, who did it was a mystery to the Catholic Herald:

The death of Fr Machikicho was less of a mystery:

However, by early March, fingers were pointed by Berejena Mission clergy at Rhodesian security forces:

It appears that this claim was based on hearsay (unless the priests claimed to eyewitnesses, who were spared ??); and on total irrelevancy (the Dominican Sisters of the BBC program).

Thanks to the Aluka Database, we might have a credible eyewitness to the murder (the second interview mentioned above):

Eyewitnesses do not necessarily hold up to cross-examination, but do provide probable cause (at least in the US) for the case to move forward.

Parker seems to be something of a red herring. I gather he does not claim to have been present at Huesser's murder; but is relying on hearsay of one kind or another. The picture as to Parker is more than a bit muddied by the following, source 1 and source 2 (taken from source 1) are the same:

and in response,

The student at Berejena, Ratidzo Hasha, seems the best evidence to support this particular Dzimbanhete claim, but Dzimbanhete doesn't appear to mention him.

This research took far too long for its worth to me.

PS: Dzimbanhete also has two 2013 articles on JIARM: LANGUAGE AS AN ASPECT OF THE WAR: SPECIAL SHONA REGISTERS OF ZIMBABWE'S LIBERATION WAR; and NEGOTIATING FOR SURVIVAL: THE NATURE OF THE ZIMBABWE AFRICAN NATIONAL LIBERATION ARMY (ZANLA)'S GUERRILLA WARFARE DURING ZIMBABWE'S WAR OF INDEPENDENCE.

Regards

Mike