Alick Nkhata (1922–1978) was a

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

, freedom fighter and broadcaster from the 1950s to the mid-1970s. He was also the director of the

Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation The Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC) is a Zambian television and radio station, formerly state owned, now technically a statutory body but still essentially under government control. It is the oldest, widest, and largest radio and ...

(ZNBC), and formed the Lusaka Radio Band, later called the Big Gold Six Band. The band played Zambian music and scored translations of original rural songs. Southern Africa: Nkhata's Contribution to Zimbabwean Music Significant
The Herald (Harare) 2007-09-12

Death

On October 19, 1978,

Selous Scouts The Selous Scouts was a special forces unit of the Rhodesian Army that operated during the Rhodesian Bush War from 1973 until the reconstitution of the country as Zimbabwe in 1980. It was mainly responsible for infiltrating the black majority p ...

, a special forces unit of the

Rhodesian Army The Rhodesian Security Forces were the military forces of the Rhodesian government. The Rhodesian Security Forces consisted of a ground force (the Rhodesian Army), the Rhodesian Air Force, the British South Africa Police, and various personnel ...

, flew into

using helicopters marked “Rhodesia Air Force” at very low altitudes, avoiding Zambian radar. The main target of the Rhodesian raid was Mkushi camp, where the

Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) was the military wing of the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU), a Marxist–Leninist political party in Rhodesia. It participated in the Rhodesian Bush War against white minority rule of Rhode ...

(ZIPRA) was training its guerrillas. ZIPRA was the armed wing of the Zimbabwe African People’s Union (

ZAPU The Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) is a Zimbabwean political party. It is a militant organization and political party that campaigned for majority rule in Rhodesia, from its founding in 1961 until 1980. In 1987, it merged with the Zimba ...

), then waging a bush war against the Rhodesian government of

Ian Douglas Smith Ian Douglas Smith (8 April 1919 – 20 November 2007) was a Rhodesian politician, farmer, and fighter pilot who served as Prime Minister of Rhodesia (known as Southern Rhodesia until October 1964 and now known as Zimbabwe) from 1964 to ...

. Raids into ZIPRA camps in Zambia were carried out by specialized Rhodesian military units led by the notorious Green Leader, real name Chris Dixon, who openly ordered the Zambian airforce not to interfere with their operations or face similar action. If the Zambian airforce intervened, warned Green Leader, they would be wiped off the skies. In one video, Green Leader can be heard on his radio communicating with the Zambian airport tower and airforce base commander: In a shocking response, the Zambian base commander communicating with Green Leader agrees to keep his Soviet-supplied MIG Fighter planes on the ground. In 1974 Alick Nkhata retired to his farm at

Mkushi Mkushi is a town in the Central Province of Zambia, located on the Great North Road and the Tazara railway, northeast of Kapiri Mposhi. The Changwena Falls and Fort Elwes (built-in 1896 by European gold prospectors) lie nearby. Mkushi is we ...

, although he continued to play music occasionally. The farm he bought was among what were called abandoned farmlands which white farmers had left in the hands of the lands board. As fate would have it, his farm was close to a camp of ZIPRA guerrillas. On October 19, 1978, Smith’s forces attacked the camp and Nkhata was killed in the crossfire.

Tributes

Alick Nkhata road, where the ZNBC complex and MultiChoice Zambia Head Office is located, was named after Nkhata.

External links

Alick Nkhata

SNAPSHOT IN HISTORY: THE KILLING OF ALICK NKHATA BY SELOUS SCOUTS

KILLING OF ALICK NKHATA

References

1922 births 1978 deaths 20th-century Zambian male singers {{Zambia-bio-stub

Death

Tributes

See also

External links

References