Itai Dzamara family celebrate his birthday in Africa Unity Square – PICTURES
The family of abducted and missing activist Itai Dzamara on Saturday celebrated his 37th birthday in Africa Unity Square. Itai made the square his home with a series of anti-Mugabe protests before his abduction on the 9th of March 2015.
Itai’s wife, Sheffra and their two kids were joined by his brother Patson and several other activists who were encouraged to bring a small cake each to celebrate Itai’s life. French ambassador to Zimbabwe Laurent Delahousse also came to show solidarity with the family.
Speaking to Nehanda Radio Itai Dzamara’s brother Patson said ” On this day my brother Itai Peace Kadiki Dzamara was born. I spent the last couple of hours in the Itai Dzamara Square (Africa Unity Square) praying and reminiscing about our childhood and how time has processed us to where we are. My mind travelled far and wide and I can only thank God for allowing me to share the same womb and life with this level of greatness.
“Whatever they did to Itai, we choose to celebrate his life even though a lot of unanswered questions and anger engulf our minds. We thank God for Itai’s life and what he has allowed him to accomplish.
“The history of Zimbabwe will never be complete without Itai’s name. He inscribed an indelible footprint on the sand of this great nation. He laid a foundation for the new Zimbabwe we are all yearning for. Itai blazed a trail and ushered in a new dispensation of citizens activism and participation. We salute him for that. A quintessential hero, he is.
As we celebrate his life, we make a commitment to finish what he started and we hope he will also greet the new Zimbabwe he sacrificed for. Ladies and gentlemen, help me celebrate this gift in time. Happy birthday Itai,” Patson told Nehanda Radio.
Dzamara was abducted from a barbershop close to his Harare home on March 9 last year and has not been seen or heard from since. After his broad-daylight abduction in the high-density suburb of Glen View, Dzamara’s wife approached the High Court in a bid to force the police and the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) to search for her husband.
During the hearing, both the police and CIO denied knowledge of his whereabouts, with authorities saying that investigations into the abduction had hit a dead end. Still, Judge David Mangota ordered the police and CIO “to do all things necessary to determine his whereabouts”, including advertising the case in State media. Nehanda Radio
