KEY POINTS
- Activists urge the Zimbabwean government to explain Itai Dzamara’s disappearance.
- Critics accuse Zanu PF of complicity, calling for accountability.
- Zimbabwe faces pressure to ratify the UN convention against enforced disappearance.
Ten years after the mysterious disappearance of human rights activist and journalist Itai Dzamara, pressure is mounting on the Zimbabwean government to provide answers.
Dzamara was last seen on March 9, 2015, when he was allegedly abducted from his home in Glenview, Harare, by suspected state security operatives.
Since then, the government has offered little clarity, leaving his family and the public in painful uncertainty.
Prominent human rights lawyer Arnold Tsunga has urged President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration to publicly address why justice has not been served.
“The government must make an open announcement explaining why it has failed to bring the perpetrators to account,” Tsunga said.
According to him, the current silence in the investigation breaches human rights and compromises public trust in the justice system.
“The family suffers uncertainty, trauma, and a lack of closure. It’s a threat to the rule of law and justice. People begin to lose faith in the ability of law enforcement to protect them,” Tsunga added.
Opposition voices challenge government silence
Former Zengeza West Member of Parliament, Job Sikhala, strongly believes the government knows the truth about Dzamara’s disappearance.
According to New Zimbabwe, he challenged the ruling Zanu PF government to reveal what happened.
“The regime knows what happened to Itai Dzamara,” Sikhala said. “Every government has a duty to protect its citizens. We still demand to know what happened to Itai. This remains an issue of public interest.”
Human rights defender and Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) president, Obert Masaraure, was even more direct.
He labeled the Zanu PF party as a “terrorist organization” and warned that the perpetrators would one day face justice.
“We will not tire in our demands for Dzamara’s return. Those responsible will be held accountable in the Zimbabwe to come,” Masaraure said.
Attempts to get a response from the government were unsuccessful. Information Minister Jenfan Muswere and Information Permanent Secretary Nick Mangwana were unreachable.
However, Zanu PF Director of Communication Farai Marapira dismissed the accusations, arguing that critics must provide evidence.
“He who alleges must prove. It is unfortunate that some seek cheap political mileage over another family’s anguish.
We are a law-abiding institution, and associating us with such accusations is unjust,” Marapira said.
Government criticized for failing to ratify UN convention
Zimbabwe has faced criticism for failing to sign or ratify the United Nations International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, despite repeated calls from UN member states.
The convention, implemented in 2010, is designed to combat enforced disappearances worldwide.
Human rights lawyer Obey Shava initiated a legal case a year ago by demanding that Zimbabwe officially ratify the treaty.
Represented by renowned lawyer Tendai Biti, Shava pointed to what he described as a “systematic pattern” of abductions, torture, and degrading treatment in Zimbabwe.
Shava highlighted that human rights defenders, opposition supporters, and ordinary citizens had been victims of such acts, with some reportedly being injected with unknown substances.
He asserted that the government’s inaction shows its overall disregard for justice alongside human rights standards.
The passage of ten years since Dzamara’s disappearance has not silenced activists who seek justice and answers from his disappearance.
The central concern remains the whereabouts of Itai Dzamara and the reason behind prolonged justice delays.
