Kufa Buku was a highly regarded Corporal and expert tracker in the Rhodesian Army’s mounted infantry unit, the Grey’s Scouts. Kufa Buku began as a stablehand and farrier before joining operational patrols. He quickly became one of the premier trackers in the Grey’s Scouts, using his knowledge of horses and the bush to great effect.

On September 18, 1979, he was killed in action (KIA) during a prolonged firefight with ZAPU (ZIPRA) communist fighters in the Chomabonda Vlei area near Victoria Falls, during Operation Tangent. Lieutenant Willie Loxton was also killed in the same engagement. His death occurred only months before the Lancaster House Agreement ceasefire that ended the Rhodesian Bush War.