MUTSHENZHENI – “I want to meet Nelson Mandela personally before I die…”

This is the last wish of the former World War II corporal, Simon Manzere (87), a rare breed of surviving war veterans in the country. Manzere stays at Mutshenzheni village, north-west of Thohoyandou. He is a role model to many, because the majority of people who took part in World War II have already passed away.

“I want to tell Mandela about my experiences in the war and share some jokes with him because he is my only surviving role model,” said Manzere, who travelled to Germany, Togo and Kenya.

Manzere, a Minister of the Christian Apostolic Church, said he was trained in military policing, first aid, convoying and propaganda during the war. He was posted for service on December 11, 1940, at the age of 22, with the full-time forces of the Native Military Corps and was discharged on October 27, 1945.

“After the war, we were presented with awards, which included the Certificate of Service, the War Medal and the Africa Service Medal. The war was quite an unusual experience for me, as I cheated death several times…”

He explains how he found himself in the army. “I was working in Johannesburg when I came home for a holiday in 1940. The village chief told me that I had been naughty and that I deserved to die in the war. I was forcefully taken to Gammbani (now Sibasa) where I was dumped in an army vehicle that took me to Pretoria. I received training in Pretoria and was later sent to Togo, Kenya and Germany. Although I went to the battlefield for a year, I became a corporal and my job was to train the new recruits in gun handling, convoying and physical exercise.”

Manzere said they were forced to use drugs by the British, so that they could fight the enemy without fear. “They would inject us with a powerful mixture to make us brave during ambushes. They would also force us to smoke dagga and drink a small pill that will make us not to feel hungry for two months. People were dying like flies, but I thank God because I survived the whole traumatising experience.”

Despite his age, Manzere is still strong. He works on his own in his field and rears cattle, goats, chickens and donkeys. He has 15 surviving children from four wives, two of whom are now deceased. Manzere says he is happy for his contribution to the history of the country, but he is disappointed that he is still poor, despite his contribution in the war. “During the apartheid government, we were given R10 (ten rand) after two months and now we are paid R100 (hundred rand) every month. This is too little, taking into consideration what we have sacrificed for this country.”

Manzere concludes by sharing his secret of a long life with the youth: “Exercise, healthy living and eating the right food increases the days of one’s life.”