The Fifth Brigade was an elite unit of specially-trained Zimbabwean soldiers. Alternative meaning: Elite (computer game) In sociology as in general usage, the elite (the elect; sometimes the French form élite is used) refers to a relatively small dominant group within a larger society, which enjoys privileged status and, almost invariantly, exploits individuals of lower social status. ...

Training

In October 1980, Prime Minister Robert Mugabe signed an agreement with the North Korean President, Kim Il Sung that they would train a brigade for the Zimbabwean army. In August 1981, 106 Koreans arrived to train the new brigade. Robert Gabriel Mugabe (born February 21, 1924) has been the head of government in Zimbabwe, first as Prime Minister and later as first executive President, since 1980. ... North Korea, officially the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (DPRK; Korean: Chosŏn Minjujuŭi Inmin Konghwaguk; Hangul: 조선민주주의인민공화국; Hanja: 朝鮮民主主義人民共和國), is a country in eastern Asia, covering the northern half of the peninsula of Korea. ... Kim Il-sung (April 15, 1912–July 8, 1994) was a Korean Communist politician and the ruler of the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea) from 1948 until his death. ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The members of the Fifth Brigade were drawn from 3500 ex-ZANLA troops at Tongogara Assembly Point. There were a few ZIPRA troops in the unit initially, but they were withdrawn before the end of the training. It has been reported that there were also some foreigners in the unit, possibly Tanzanians. The training of Fifth Brigade lasted until September 1982, when Minister Sekeramayi announced training was complete. Josiah Tongogara is a fallen hero of the Zimbabwe revolutionary war, and streets are named after him in almost every town in the country. ... September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 1982 is a number and represents a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar Events January January 6 - William Bonin is convicted of being the freeway killer. January 8 - AT&T agrees to divest itself of twenty-two subdivisions January 11 - Mark Thatcher, son of the British Prime...

Fighting

Background

In the free elections of February 1980, Mugabe and his Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) won a landslide victory and and Mugabe became Zimbabwe's first prime minister. Mugabe, whose political support came from his Shona-speaking homeland in the north, attempted to build Zimbabwe on a basis of an uneasy coalition with his Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) rivals, whose support came from the Ndebele-speaking south, Matabeleland, and with whites. Mugabe sought to incorporate ZAPU into his ZANU–led government and ZAPU's military wing into the army; and ZAPU's leader, Joshua Nkomo, was given a series of cabinet positions in Mugabe's government. However, the new president was torn between this objective and pressures to meet the expectations of his own ZANU followers for a faster pace of social change. February is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... The Zimbabwe African National Union was a political party during the struggle for Rhodesias, ultimately Zimbabwes, independence, formed as a split from ZAPU. It won the 1980 elections under the leadership of Robert Mugabe, and eight years later merged again with Joshua Nkomos ZAPU to form Zanu... The Zimbabwe African Peoples Union was a political party in Zimbabwe. ... There are two versions of Ndebele in South Africa, they both belong to the Nguni group of Bantu Languages. ... The Matabele are a branch of the Zulus who escaped from King Shaka under the leadership of Mzilikazi, a former general in Shakas army. ... Joshua Nkomo (1918 – July 1, 1999) was a Zimbabwean nationalist leader, an Ndebele, and the leader and founder of the Zimbabwe African Peoples Union (ZAPU). ...

An abortive ZAPU rebellion and discontent in Matabeleland spelled the end for this uneasy coalition. In 1982 Mugabe dismissed Nkomo from his cabinet, which triggered bitter fighting between ZAPU supporters in the Ndebele-speaking region of the country and the ruling ZANU.

Civil war in the mid-1980s

Between 1982 and 1985 the Fifth Brigade brutally crushed any resistance in Matabeleland. Over 20,000 civilians died and were buried in mass graves. The intensity of their actions during the mid-1980s is associated with a specific Zimbabwean word Gukurahundi. This is most simply translated as "the rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains." Gukurahundi is a traditional term in Shona (one of Zimbabwes native languages), which means the early rain which washes away the chaff before the spring rains. The chaff, i. ...

The first Commander of the Fifth Brigade was Colonel Perence Shiri. The Fifth Brigade was different to all other army units, in that it was not integrated into the army. It was answerable only to the Prime Minister, and not to the normal army command structures. Their codes, uniforms, radios and equipment were not compatible with other army units. Their most distinguishing feature in the field was their red berets, although many reports note that on occasions Fifth Brigade soldiers would operate in civilian clothes. Fifth Brigade were regarded as being a law unto themselves once in the field. Perence Shiri, Air Marshall and Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ). ...

External links and References

• Some of the material here is drawn from a report compiled by the Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) entitled "Breaking the Silence, Building True Peace. A report on the disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands 1980 – 1989".
• For a copy of "Breaking the Silence, Building True Peace. A report on the disturbances in Matabeleland and the Midlands 1980 – 1989" visit http://www.hrforumzim.com/members_reports/matrep/matrepsumm.htm