Luthuli Detachment – The Hwange Thunderbolt

After intense military training abroad, Umkhonto we Sizwe freedom fighters are determined to return home to South Africa as armed combatants alongside the masses struggling for liberation. Their planned route back necessitates crossing through Rhodesia. So they share their intentions with fellow comrades from the ZPRA forces also battling Rhodesia’s regime.This dialogue gives rise to a joint military alliance when ZAPU and ANC leadership approve the strategy. Thus, the Luthuli Detachment is born – a combined battalion from ZPRA and Umkhonto we Sizwe named in honour of the late ANC President General Albert Luthuli. On the eve of departing to reach South Africa, these joint forces cross into Rhodesia, though not without casualties.After successfully navigating the treacherous Zambezi river into Rhodesian land, an explosive encounter in Hwange Game Reserve turns it into the chilling rendezvous point where the Luthuli Detachment’s destiny collides with history’s call to duty. Will they accomplish their mission of participating alongside South African masses hungering for emancipation?

Ezekiel Hleza was born in Matholwa, Kafusi, Kezi, and grew up in his home village of Madipuduhudu in Gwanda. He attended Makokwe Primary School and Manama High School. After high school, he attended the University of Zimbabwe for his B.A. Degree and the Graduate Certificate in Education. He teaches English Language and Literature at Tshelanyemba High School. He has also briefly taught at Mpopoma High School in Bulawayo and Chamnangana Secondary School near Zezani in Beitbridge. A father of one daughter, he has published the following books: Emfuleni Wezinyembezi, Uyangisinda lumhlaba and Don’t Cry for Me.