Thread by @NewsHawksLive

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa didn't cite Zimbabwe among countries that helped the ANC in its anti-apartheid struggle in his address at the late Tanzanian president John Magufuli's burial. Ramaphosa thanked Botswana, Lesotho, ESwatini, Mozambique, Zambia and Tanzania.

This immediately raised interest as Zimbabwe is right on the key border with South Africa.
Ramaphosa's narrative brings into focus the mainstream ANC view that the late former president Robert Mugabe’s and his Zanu PF didn't wholeheartedly support the South African struggle.

Mugabe, despite being supported by Tanzania and Mozambique, refused to support the ANC militarily and materially, saying it was up to SA people to fight their own struggle.
He said he was only prepared to offer symbolic diplomatic and political support to the ANC.

Part of the problem has always been that the ANC was allied to Zapu, while Zanu worked with the PAC.
The ANC and Zapu jointly launched the first major guerrilla military attack on Rhodesia in 1967, The Wankie Campaign, through the Luthuli Detachement that combined Zipra and MK.

Prior to that there was the daring Chinhoyi Battle by Zanla in 1966 which was a relatively smaller incursion.

However, the biggest problem is that Mugabe then used President Emmerson Mnangagwa as his point man to cut military and security deals with the apartheid regime in Pretoria.
The ANC has never been happy about Mugabe's collaboration with PW Botha and later FW de Klerk's regimes.

As a result of Harare's clandestine rapprochement with Pretoria, the ANC cadres were often arrested and deported to Zambia (Mugabe in 1980 ordered MK out of Zimbabwe). MK military chief in Zimbabwe Joe Gqabi was killed in Avondale, Harare. The ANC believes Zanu sold out Gqabi.

Hence as a result Zimbabwe and SA have always had an undeclared Cold War - political and diplomatic frosty currents - which last year manifested themselves openly and publicly when Ramaphosa tried to engage Mnangagwa on Zim's political and economic crisis. Relations remain cold.

But ordinary Zimbabweans across the country supported and helped ANC cadres, especially in Bulawayo and Harare. People gave refugee to ANC leaders and their activists, as well as fighters.
So Zapu and ordinary Zimbabweans supported the ANC/South African struggle.