Nevanji Munyaradzi Chiondegwa
Colonel Dennis Pahla, a senior army officer has died from injuries sustained in a road traffic accident, a day after celebrating his 64 th birthday.
He died yesterday at the Parirenyatwa Group of Hospital, where he was admitted.
In a statement released today, Zimbabwe National Army Commander Lieutenant General David Sigauke said the accident occurred along Harare-Chinhoyi Road.
The car he was travelling in rolled into Gwebi River.
Colonel Pahla whose Chimurenga name was Comrade Kid Nyikandeyedu was born on 17 October 1957 in Chipinge District and attended Madhuku, Manzire and later Rimai Primary schools before proceeding to Chikore Mission for secondary education.
He failed to sit for his O Levels as the intensifying war of liberation had seen the settler Rhodesian forces escalate their patrols in their area following ZANLA combatants incursions.
Colonel Pahla subsequently moved to Mutare where he stayed for some months before crossing the border to join the liberation struggle in Mozambique in 1975 ZANLA attack on Mutare.
Together with a friend, Colonel Pahla crossed into Mozambique at Mary Mount Mission where they first arrived at Villa de Manica then proceeded to Chimoio and finally were ferried to Nyadzonya Refugee Camp.
Cde Nyikandeyedu as he was now known, was lucky to survive the infamous Nyadzonya Refugee Camp raid by the Rhodesian forces because he was undergoing a short paramedic course at Chigayo.
Colonel Pahla had to cut short his training to assist in ferrying injured comrades from Nyadzonya to Masengere and later on to Doeroi Refugee Camp Hospital.
In 1976, the late Colonel was selected to undergo military training in Tanzania and was flown to Nachingweya via Mutwara Airport.
He was part of the Songambele Group of 5000 ZANLA recruits. After training in 1977, Colonel Pahla was deployed to operate in the Tete Province, Detachment ‘B’ of the Chitepo Sector inside Zimbabwe, Rhodesia.
He operated as a rifleman and rose through the ranks to become Section Political Commissar, Section Commander, Platoon Political Commissar, Platoon Commander, Overall Platoon Commander, before being elevated to Detachment Commander.
At ceasefire in 1979, Colonel Pahla went to Echo (Luwangwa) Assembly Point from where he subsequently joined the ZImbabwe National Army at Independence in 1980.
In the ZNA, he rose through the ranks to Colonel, a position he held until his untimely death.
Meanwhile, funeral arrangements are yet to be announced and mourners are gathered at Plot No. 7 Riverside Farm, Banket.
Recent Comments