Emmerson Mnangagwa

=== The Crocodile Gang: 1964–1965 ===
Upon returning to Tanzania, Mnangagwa co-founded the [[Crocodile Gang]], a ZANLA guerrilla unit led by [[William Ndangana]] composed of the men he had trained within China: John Chigaba, Robert Garachani, Lloyd Gundu, Felix Santana, and Phebion Shonhiwa.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":5" /><ref name=":15" /><ref name=":20">{{Cite book |last=Wood |first=J. R. T. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lUBYAAAAQBAJ&pg=PT792 |title=So Far and No Further!: Rhodesia's Bid for Independence During the Retreat from Empire 1959–1965 |publisher=Trafford Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=9781466934078 |pages=792 |language=en}}</ref> They were meant to be provided with weapons, but none were available.<ref name=":13" /> The group rushed to attend the ZANU Congress in the [[Mkoba]] suburb of [[Gweru|Gwelo]], arriving the day before it commenced on 21 May 1964.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":72">{{Cite book |last=Ndlovu-Gatsheni |first=Sabelo J. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nr8LVY7WCQoC |title=Coloniality of Power in Postcolonial Africa: Myths of Decolonization |publisher=CODESRIA |year=2013 |isbn=978-2-86978-578-6 |location=Dakar |pages=207 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":59">{{Cite journal |last=Ranger |first=Terence |date=1997 |title=Violence Variously Remembered: The Killing of Pieter Oberholzer in July 1964 |url=https://doi.org/10.2307/3172030 |journal=History in Africa |volume=24 |pages=273–286 |doi=10.2307/3172030 |jstor=3172030 |s2cid=159673826 |via=JSTOR}}</ref> At the congress, [[Ndabaningi Sithole]] was elected president, Takawira vice-president, [[Herbert Chitepo]] national chairman, Mugabe secretary-general, and [[Enos Nkala]] treasurer.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":123">{{Cite book |last= |first= |title=African Nationalist Leaders in Rhodesia: Who's Who |publisher=Books of Rhodesia |year=1977 |editor-last=Cary |editor-first=Robert |location=Bulawayo |language=en |chapter=Enos Mzombi Nkala |editor-last2=Mitchell |editor-first2=Diana |chapter-url=https://www.colonialrelic.com/biographies/enos-mzombi-nkala/}}</ref> Shortly after the congress, three members of the Crocodile Gang were captured and arrested for smuggling guns into the country, while Lawrence Svosve went missing after being sent by Mnangagwa to Lusaka to retrieve some messages.<ref name=":13" /> Despite these losses, the Crocodile Gang remained active and was joined by Matthew Malowa, a ZANU member who had trained in Egypt.<ref name=":13" />

In addition to smuggling weapons into Rhodesia, ZANLA leaders tasked the Crocodile Gang with recruiting new members from the urban centres of [[Harare|Salisbury]], [[Masvingo|Fort Victoria]], [[Mberengwa District|Belingwe]], and [[Macheke]], and smuggling them through the border at [[Mutoko]] into Tanzania for training.<ref name=":13" /> The Crocodile Gang traveled back and forth on foot between Salisbury and Mutoko.<ref name=":13" /> Soon, party leaders at [[Sikombela]] sent the group a message urging them to take more extreme actions as a means of gaining publicity, with the hope that greater exposure would bring ZANU's efforts to the attention of the [[Organisation of African Unity]]'s Liberation Committee, which was meeting in Dar es Salaam at the time.<ref name=":13" /> The Crocodile Gang, now comprising Ndangana, Malowa, Victor Mlambo, James Dhlamini, Master Tresha, and Mnangagwa, met to make plans at Ndabaningi Sithole's house in the [[Highfield, Harare|Highfield]] suburb of Salisbury.<ref name=":13" />

On 4 July 1964, the Crocodile Gang [[Oberholzer murder|ambushed and murdered]] Pieter Johan Andries Oberholzer, a white factory foreman and police reservist, in [[Chimanimani|Melsetter]], near Southern Rhodesia's eastern border.<ref name=":19" /><ref name=":20" /><ref name=":59" /><ref name=":21">{{Cite news|url=https://www.herald.co.zw/cell-42-the-prison-that-couldnt-stop-eds-destiny/|title=Cell 42: The prison that couldn't stop ED's destiny|last1=Zindoga|first1=Tichaona|date=2018-01-27|work=The Herald|access-date=2018-07-11|last2=Mhaka|first2=Gibson|language=en-GB}}</ref> Dhlamini and Mlambo were caught and hanged for the crime; the others evaded capture.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":21" /> The event marked the first instance of violence in what became the [[Rhodesian Bush War]], and prompted the government to crack down on both ZANU and ZAPU. In August 1964, the administration of Prime Minister [[Ian Smith]] imprisoned Sithole, Takawira, [[Edgar Tekere]], Enos Nkala, and [[Maurice Nyagumbo]].<ref name=":60" /> ZANLA was left with [[Josiah Tongogara]] and Herbert Chitepo as its leaders.<ref name=":60">{{Cite book|title=Rainbow's End: A Memoir of Childhood, War, and an African Farm|last=St. John|first=Lauren|publisher=Scribner|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7432-8679-4|edition=First|location=New York City|pages=[https://archive.org/details/rainbowsendmemoi00stjo/page/n20 1]|url=https://archive.org/details/rainbowsendmemoi00stjo|url-access=registration}}</ref> Before Oberholzer's murder, the gang had already bombed the [[Nyanyadzi]] police station and attempted other ambushes after arriving in Southern Rhodesia via bus from [[Kitwe]], Northern Rhodesia.<ref name=":20" /> It continued its campaign of violence after the killing, setting up roadblocks to terrorize [[White people in Zimbabwe|whites]] and attacking white-owned farms in the country's [[Eastern Highlands]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |last=Blair |first=David |date=10 December 2014 |title=Man they called 'the Crocodile' is Robert Mugabe's favoured successor |language=en-GB |work=[[The Telegraph (UK)|The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/11286074/Man-they-called-the-Crocodile-is-Robert-Mugabes-favoured-successor.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=25 November 2017 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zimbabwe/11286074/Man-they-called-the-Crocodile-is-Robert-Mugabes-favoured-successor.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |issn=0307-1235}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The gang became known for its use of knives and for leaving green handwritten anti-government pamphlets at the scenes of its crimes.<ref name=":13" />