HONEYMOON IN RHODESIA
1969
Refreshed and leaving Fort Victoria and the tar tracks behind, they headed for Imvuma. The chimney in Imvuma, part of an old Iron Smelter, was visible from afar. The town was small with an unpainted dilapidated hotel. Matthew stopped but decided to carry on and headed for the next village between Imvuma and Salisbury.
The town of Enkeldoorn was established in semi-bush, and savanna veldt housed an Afrikaner community that made Rhodesia their home. Blue Gum Trees were plentiful and planted by the inhabitants to remind them of the Transvaal. Beatrice, the next town, was similarly as small as Enkeldoorn, and cattle and maize country.
Arriving in Salisbury, that afternoon, they headed for the home of Gert’s in-laws, Cyril and Alita Bell, who was staying in one of the city’s suburbs. Gert and Pearl were already waiting for them. They tied the knot on the 15 March 69 and Matthew and Elsie on the 29 March. 69. It was a joyous reunion and Matthew, and Elsie received a reception fit for a king. Cyril and Alita’s hospitality was out of this world, and they would remain dear friends for the rest of their lives. The Bell’s two sons, John and Patrick, were still in primary school at the time.
When Rhodesia became independent in the ’80s under Robert Mugabe and the new state of Zimbabwe came into existence, Matthew could repay the Bell’s for their kindness over the years.
Striking African workers at the Salisbury factory where Cyril worked, assaulted Cyril, punching his face to a pulp. Cyril unexpectedly arrived in South Africa seeking medical help and a job.
Matthew, a senior manager at the time, had no problem arranging an interview for Cyril, who landed a job as a fitter in the Nitrates Department and a house on the property. Matthew was also able to arrange a meeting for Cyril’s son. John secured an Operations Job on the Limestone Ammonium Nitrate Plant. John would do well in the years to come and become a Training Foreman. Eventually, John, with his experience and knowledge gained in the employment of AECI, would do a similar job on an Oil Rig in the North Sea.
Gert and Pearl showed Matthew and Elsie around in Salisbury. It was a beautiful and clean city. The people, African and white, were amiable. If it weren’t for the soldiers and the army vehicles in the city, it would have been hard to believe that war, although of low intensity and unconventionality, was being fought.
The sightseeing tour ended with a fantastic evening at the La Boheme (La Bom) Night Club. Waiting for the Egyptian beauty strip show to begin, the foursome had supper at the club.
Matthew had a super planked steak and a bottle of expensive Chianti red wine for two dollars a bottle. The same bottle in South Africa would have cost only R0 -28 and regarded as a bottle of cooking wine and not fit to drink. The super planked steak, Matthew ordered, became a big embarrassment. The side of the plank plate, slightly extended over the edge of the round table. The plate somersaulted, sending a large steak and chips flying through the air and landing onto the lap of his trousers. The fries were unrecoverable, most of it landed on the floor. Matthew, however, sheepishly managed to place the steak back onto the plank and as unobtrusively as possible scraped the chips with his shoes under the table. Gert, Pearl, and Elsie nearly ‘pissed’ themselves laughing, and it took a long time for Matthew to live up to that incident.
It was the first time Matthew and Elsie ever attended a strip show and the last. They watched with amazement as the Egyptian ladies stripped stark naked. Strip shows in South Africa were forbidden. As the show went on, Elsie and Pearl became more and more embarrassed. Matthew and Gert became more and more uproarious and enjoying the show.
At one stage one of the beauties, naked from head to toe, went over to Gert and sat on his lap while sliding a colourful scarf around his head and kissing him. Facing Gert with her legs open and placed on the outer side of his legs, she moved her bottom sideways and up and down on his lap faking intercourse to Gert’s delight. That was the final straw for Pearl and Elsie, and they demanded to be taken home immediately. Blaming the two men for behaving like pigs, Elsie moped she had never been so embarrassed in her life. She accused Matthew of ‘oohing and aahing’ the antics of the ‘bitch’ that had a go at Gert!
The next morning Matthew woke early. Making coffee for him and Elsie he decided to spoil Gert and Pearl as well and take them coffee in bed. Knocking on their bedroom door, Gert invited him in, noticing that Gert was alone in bed.
Enquiring about Pearl’s whereabouts, Matthew heard a noise behind him, and to his amazement, she fell out of the wardrobe. With a blanket wrapped around her and embarrassed, she fled out of the bedroom. At a loss of what was going on, Gert told Matthew laughingly that Pearl, still furious about the incident with the Egyptian stripper the previous night, had slept in the wardrobe. Fortunately, as it goes with young lovers, Gert and Matthew were quickly forgiven.
Their stay with the Bell’s was remarkable, and it was here in the Bell household that Matthew saw television, although black and white, for the first time.
After breakfast, the four of them were on their way to the farm in Mount Darwin. Leaving Salisbury behind, they took the Mazowe/ Bindura road north towards the Mozambique Border. The Highveld savanna of Salisbury changed rapidly to that of Lowveld. It was a beautiful world to travel through. Mazowe was a citrus country and further north towards Bindura and beyond it became cattle, tobacco and maize country. Mt Darwin was a one-horse town with Service Station, Grocery Shop and Post Office of which all belonged to Gert’s new boss Stavros.
The city was close to the Mozambique border and the infiltration routes for the so-called freedom fighters of Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe. The road to the farm was in a terrible condition after the tropical rain that was prevalent in the area. The VW was slipping and sliding all over the road. The house was typical of the charming Boer farmhouses one would find in the rural areas of South Africa. A large veranda surrounded the house, and many evenings would be spent having sundowners while watching the sun go down in the west.
Coming from South Africa, Matthew noticed with concern that most of the African workers on the farm carried firearms ranging from .303’s to shotguns given to them by Stavros. It was very irresponsible for Stavros to provide them with guns remembering the so-called loyal natives who have killed their employers in Angola and other African countries. Especially the atrocities of the Mau Mau of Kenya in the early fifties.
That first night on the farm, something strange happened. Towards the early morning hours, Matthew heard gunshots being fired somewhere near the homestead. Matthew and Gert came rushing out of their bedrooms simultaneously. They met up in the corridor where Gert pushed a Uzzi machine gun into the hands of Matthew with a warning. They did not rush outside. Stay indoors and wait for them, bastards!’
Pearl and Elsie, also armed, were instructed to lie down on the bathroom floor and not to move or come out until ordered to do so. They were moving from window to window. They heard more shots that sounded like semi-automatic gunfire, but nothing happened. They kept the vigil up until dawn.
Stavros arrived early the next morning welcoming Matthew and Elsie. Stavros wanted to know if everything was well. Gert told him about the gunshots during the night. Stavros put Gert at ease by saying that he need not worry. The shots heard from people trying to chase off the bush pigs and warthogs destroying the tobacco and maize in the lands.
Matthew was not so sure. His father’s words, ‘Think,’ allowed many questions rushing through his mind. Finally, deciding that he was not going to force the issue, seeing that he was only a guest on the farm, after all, he let it go.
Many years later, Matthew learned that Stavros was a Mugabe cohort. Mozambique terrorists, disguised as farmworkers, were transported to Salisbury where they performed their terrorist activities. The Army and Police, manning roadblocks, never suspected Stavros, who after the war, was hailed as a hero by ZANU PF
Stavro’s safety, along with that of his family, his white workers and visitors to the farm were guaranteed. Stavros was safe while other farmers in the area died at the hands of his friends.
Stavros farm was most probably the safest place in Rhodesia where Matthew and Elsie could spend their honeymoon, and the Army and the Terrorists were protecting them.
Matthew found the incident the previous night exhilarating as he was craving for a firefight with the terrorists to expand the anger he felt deep inside of him! Violence created by the senseless killing of innocent whites by marauding Africans all over Africa.
Gert showed Matthew around on the farm the next day. The arable land was surrounded by the thick bush, which was ideal for a terrorist to hide inside. Matthew could not shake off the feeling that someone watched them. Gert kept his Uzzi within easy reach. A short distance away from the farm, Gert pointed out a Bush Grocery Shop on the bank of the Ruya River stream. The French owner, Jacot Guillermo, had been ambushed and killed inside his shop. The walls and doors riddled with bullet holes.
Apart from the ever-present terrorist threat, the stay on the farm was enjoyable. Pearl was an excellent cook. The foursome played, joked and laughed like children. And then it was all over!
It was on 14 April 1969 and Matthew and Elsie decided to make a run for the Rhodesian/ South African border before it closed for the night. They were low on cash and worried that they would not have enough money to reach home. Fortunately, Pearl had packed them a food basket so that they did not have to worry about what they were going to eat. When they reached Olifantsfontein in the early morning hours of the 15th, which was only a few kilometres from Kempton Park, the petrol tank empty warning light came on. On edge, Matthew slowed down to conserve the last bit of petrol available in the tank. They could not believe their luck when they reached their destination. Stopping the VW in front of his garage, the engine finally gave up its efforts and sluggishly came to a standstill. The tank was empty, and so were their pockets. The good news was that the 15th was a payday for Elsie. It was nice to be home, and they slept until late.
The bachelor’s flat in Poplar Mansion would be their first home as a married couple. Although sparsely furnished with a single bed and sitting room sofa on loan from Peet Greyling. A fridge and kitchen table were also available. Matthew bought with his own money, and the flat was pleasant.
A rope strapped in the corner of the veranda served as a wardrobe for the hangers with their clothes. It was only while hanging up the clothes that Elsie discovered that the pants of his marital suit, Matthew had hung up in the closet of the Culemborg Hotel, was missing. Matthew had forgotten to pack it in his suitcase before he left and knew that he would never find his pants again.
The Honeymoon trip would be the first of many to that beautiful land. Rhodesia was a special place. Gert eventually bought his farm after having farmed for Stavros, Beattie in Karoi and Fisher in Bindura. Gert bought ‘Forest Dawn’ in Shamva and planted there until the independence of Zimbabwe in 1980. Mugabe was very reconciliatory towards former white Rhodesians as the new leader of Zimbabwe. Still, Gert mistrusted Mugabe and decided to return to South Africa. Gert’s mistrust of Mugabe was justified as Mugabe had turned into a madman who seized all-white farmland and destroyed the economy of Zimbabwe. The value of the Zimbabwe dollar would devalue to less than a fraction of a South African cent, leaving the money worthless and without any monetary value to pay for goods and services. Widespread corruption and election fraud reach an all-time high, and the abuse of Zimbabwean citizens by Mugabe and his cronies would have alarm bells ringing all over the world. Claims of genocide would also surface against Mugabe.
The following year, 1970, John Vorster decided to back up Ian Smith with his war on terror and deployed 2000 police officers in Rhodesia. Brother Daniel was one of them, and Matthew was very concerned about his safety. The first SA Policeman to die in Rhodesia was a Capt. Van Eeden.
