Since March last year, civic society as well as some foreign embassies in Harare have been expressing serious concerns over the mysterious disappearance of pro-democracy activist, Itai Dzamara who was allegedly abducted by State agents from his Glen View suburb on March 9, 2015.
Dzamara was abducted at a barber shop following a series of campaigns during which he challenged President Robert Mugabe to step down for having failed the nation of Zimbabwe through misrule.
Prior to his disappearance, Dzamara and his colleagues from the Occupy Africa Unity Square (OAUS) campaign had been battered by anti-riot police on several occasions despite the fact that Zimbabwe’s constitution guarantees the right to stage peaceful protests under Section 59.
The manner in which Dzamara was abducted is synonymous with the operations of Zimbabwe’s State agents who are notorious for descending heavily on anti-government activists, some of whom have since independence in 1980, disappeared without a trace.
History is laden with anti-government activists who disappeared the Dzamara style and have not been accounted for since then.
Ordinary Zimbabweans’ suspicions that Dzamara was abducted by state agents have been heightened by the failure by the state to abide by a High Court ruling directing them to search for Dzamara and provide regular updates.
The Dzamara family is on record bemoaning the lack of cooperation from law enforcement agencies as far as the search for Itai is concerned.
Moreover, the State seems to have gone into a defensive mood with the State media taking every opportunity to trivialize the Dzamara issue and even going to extremes of labeling the missing activist (so dearly missed by his wife and kids) as an opportunist trying to benefit from a “stage managed disappearance”.
To add on to this, anti-riot police has since the disappearance of Dzamara, blocked peace rallies as well as peaceful marches meant to raise awareness on the missing Dzamara.
This is despite the fact that the law enforcement agents are supposed to be leading the search for Dzamara.
The Head of State and Government, President Robert Mugabe has also chosen to remain mum on the Dzamara issue despite the serious dent that the issue has caused on the country’s human rights record with the European Union (EU) and the United States expressing serious concern over the disappearance of Dzamara.
His stance on Dzamara’s disappearance is in direct contrast to his sentiments over the mysterious death of Higher and Tertiary Education Minister, Jonathan Moyo’s daughter, Zanele (MHSRIP) who was found dead in a bathing tub in South Africa on October 17, 2015.
President Mugabe expressed serious concern over the manner in which South African authorities had handled the issue yet back home; he chooses to remain quiet when authorities behave in a manner that is inconsistent with their duties.
To add on to this, his Spokesperson, George Charamba is on record claiming that Dzamara’s issue was too trivial to bother the Zanu (PF) leader.
CIZC would like to implore the government to commit enough resources in the search for Dzamara and join hands with likeminded forces such as the church and civil society in raising awareness on Dzamara.
CIZC further implores the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to desist from serving partisan interests and assist efforts by concerned Zimbabweans to search for Dzamara.
