10 years, 2 months later: What happened to Itai Dzamara and how you can help solve mystery?

It’s now 10 years, 2 months, 25 days since Zimbabwean journalist turned pro-democracy activist Itai Dzamara was abducted from a barber shop in Glen View, Harare.

Two days before his enforced disappearance, Dzamara who led the protest group “Occupy Africa Unity Square”, addressed an opposition rally calling for mass action against the deteriorating political and economic situation in the country under the leadership of then President Robert Mugabe.

What happened during the abduction of 09 March 2015?

On the morning of 9 March 2015, five men, suspected to be agents from the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), accosted Dzamara while accusing him of stealing cattle before handcuffing him and driving off with him in a white truck with concealed number plates.

According to a BBC report “Mr Dzamara was in the barber chair getting his beard trimmed when they noticed a white Nissan twin cab which seemed to be circling the block.

“It looked out of place – but Mr Dzamara was confident he knew who it was. “Ndeye vakomana,” he said – a Shona phrase meaning “it belongs to the boys”.

“The boys” were Zimbabwe’s secret police. Minutes later, two men dressed in plain clothes came in and asked for airtime for their mobile phones. When the barber said they did not have any, the men said they were actually after a cattle thief – Mr Dzamara.”

According to the report Dzamara was handcuffed and bundled into the back of the white car before it sped off.

What happened after the abduction?

Following Dzamara’s abduction his wife Sheffra Dzamara immediately filed a missing persons report at Glen Norah Police Station in the capital Harare.

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights escalated the matter further by approaching the High Court to try and force the government to deploy all available resources to investigate and locate Dzamara.

Even though the High Court of Zimbabwe ordered the police and state security agents to search for Dzamara and report on their progress every two weeks, none of the security services have fully complied with the order.

Following the High Court order to get the police to act, a half hearted appeal for information was launched by the police and the state media.

Deprose Muchena who was then Amnesty International’s Regional Director for Southern Africa summarised the situation perfectly in a statement issued on 9 April 2015.

“The enforced disappearance of a known government critic without a trace is a concern in a country with a history of violent targeting of political opponents.

“The best way for Zimbabwean security agents to allay fears that they were complicit in Itai Dzamara’s disappearance would be to take seriously their responsibility to establish his whereabouts and ensure his safe return.”

Government reaction to Itai Dzamara abduction

Both the government of the late President Mugabe and his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa who took over in November 2017 via a military coup, ignored calls for an investigation into what happened to Dzamara or even locate his remains if he was killed.

Its widely believed even during Mugabe’s reign in power, that his then confidant, Mnangagwa served as the enforcer in crackdowns directed at the opposition.

During the Gukurahundi Massacres that saw over 20 000 people killed in the Matabeleland and Midlands provinces in the 1980’s, Mnangagwa was the State Security Minister at the time.

He held influential roles in Mugabe’s government from State Security, Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice among others, giving him firm control over the security forces and who can and cannot be prosecuted.

Why did they target Itai Dzamara for abduction?

Planning or participating in demonstrations in Zimbabwe has proved to be a very dangerous undertaking given the brutal crackdowns employed by both Mugabe and Mnangagwa’s regimes.

In 2014 Dzamara attracted the attention of the government after submitting a petition calling on then President Mugabe to resign over the situation in the country.

Not only was he a journalist who could write and publish articles under his News Leader newspaper, he also had the courage to conduct one man protests if necessary leading to many brutal beatings by the riot police.

On 17 October 2014, Dzamara and two other protesters, Tichaona Danho and Philosophy Nyapfumbi, hand-delivered a petition to Mugabe’s office asking him to step down.

Dzamara later confirmed that they immediately abducted and taken to an office of the ruling Zanu PF party were they were interrogated for eight hours and severely beaten with metal rods before being taken to a police station.

Bizarrely the abductors were set free without charge by the police while Dzamara and his fellow activists required hospitalization for injuries inflicted during the abduction.

Still he soldiered on and in November 2014 anti-riot police beat him up until he lost consciousness while he was engaging in a peaceful protest in Harare. It was reported that he collapsed in hospital and had to be resuscitated and treated in the intensive care unit.

It became clear that being constantly beaten was no deterrence to Dzamara and his bravery was viewed as a potential lightning rod that could spark mass protests in a country teeming with anger over mounting poverty and unemployment.

This was made worse by the precedent set by the Arab Spring which began in December 2010 and saw millions of individuals mobilized across the Middle East and North Africa to topple once untouchable autocratic leaders.

How Mnangagwa benefitted from Dzamara’s bravery

The tragic irony was that Dzamara was abducted for calling on Mugabe to step down, something Mnangagwa himself would engineer via a military coup in November 2017 to depose the long time ruler.

The fact that Mnangagwa as President has shown no interest in helping to solve the abduction to many critics confirms his involvement as Mugabe’s widely acknowledged enforcer.

After the coup that brought Mnangagwa to power, army Lieutenant-General turned Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sibusiso Moyo, told the BBC that the days of abductions were over and the new government respects the lives of every Zimbabwean.

Unfortunately that position was not backed up by events on the ground as the new government which dubbed itself the “Second Republic” persisted with abductions, jailing journalists and killing protestors as happened after elections in August 2018.

Itai’s brother Patson Dzamara and his crusade

You cannot talk about Itai Dzamara without also talking about his brother Patson Dzamara, who sadly was to succumb to colon cancer in August 2020, over five years after his brother’s abduction.

Patson persisted bodly with a campaign to demand answers over Itai’s abduction, at one time engaging in a one man protest on 18 April 2016 at the National Sports Stadium in Harare during Independence Day celebrations.

He held up a placard reading “Independent but not free – where is my brother Itai” near a VIP tent.

About ten security agents set upon him, punching and beating him with batons and later forcing him to drink about four litres of water.

Again in October 2016 Patson staged a one-man demonstration at the entrance of the Parliament building, vowing he would not be silenced until the whereabouts of his missing brother Itai are known.

Patson wore a black trousers, green helmet and a jacket in national flag colours while holding a placard inscribed: “I will never be silent until Itai Dzamara is accounted for. I will never be silent until Zimbabwe is fixed.”

Are there any clues as to what happened to Itai Dzamara?

In interviews with journalists Patson Dzamara revealed that he had received anonymous text messages explaining what had happened to his brother including the names of the five men who were involved in the abduction.

Although the credibility of the information is hard to judge, Patson was told that Itai Dzamara had been killed, and his body buried in grave number 71 in the cemetery at Chikurubi Maximum Prison just outside Harare.

The texter had however claimed the body was then moved to a dam north of the city. Dzamara’s lawyer Charles Kwaramba was quoted by the BBC saying he was not entirely convinced the messages were legitimate.

It remained Patson’s stated belief that his brother was abducted on the orders of  “the ruling Zanu-PF and military intelligence” because they feared he would be able to mobilise people into a revolt similar to the “Arab Spring”.

Human rights lawyer Kennedy Masiye reveals the alleged abductors

Another human rights lawyer who represented Dzamara was Kennedy Masiye. He has previously been assaulted by police while representing his missing client.

In March 2015 he took part in a virtual discussion hosted by CITE in partnership with Amnesty International. The discussion was titled “Itai Dzamara: Ten Years Without Answers.”

“When I first assisted Dzamara’s wife in reporting his abduction, officers at the first police station we visited were visibly afraid. They wanted nothing to do with the case,” he said.

“To my knowledge, there has been no official report or follow-up investigation since then. The police have shown no urgency, and there is a deep lack of trust in law enforcement when it comes to this case.”

Masiye then read out loud the message Patson Dzamara received in September 2015;

“Itai was abducted using a white double cab, reg number ABG 286, by Tichareva Mubaira, Liberty Shamu, Owen Zivanai Mazarura, Tendai Chinyani, and taken to Border Gezi for four days. He was then moved to Goromonzi Farm by Watson Marufu (identified as a military officer stationed at KGVI).

“A meeting between police and CIO officials ended in accusations that he had been killed and buried at Chikurubi Prison Cemetery, grave number 71.

“His body was later exhumed and dumped in a dam at Chitemba Farm on Mazowe Road near the CIO headquarters. Endai ikoko now. Call the police there. Musaregere,” the message read.

According to the report by CITE “the phone number used to send the message was traced to a young O-Level student in Kwekwe, who had no connection to the case. Further checks showed that the number had previously belonged to a person who died in 2010—five years before the abduction.”

“It was clear the police were sending us in circles, feeding us dead ends,” Masiye said.

Owner of the car that was used in the abduction named

In another written statement published in August 2021 on the day of Itai Dzamara’s birthday, Masiye provided more information.

“Various witnesses anonymously produced evidence of how Itai Dzamara was kidnapped, imprisoned in clandestine jails and tortured.

“The police even have the number plate of one of the cars identified as used to abduct Itai Dzamara as ABG2862. Investigations revealed that the vehicle registration ABG2862 belonged to one Ishmael Matyenyika.

“Matyenyika was interviewed in my presence, even though his testimony seemed coached, he told the police and produced some documents showing that he bought the vehicle right at the same period the car was identified in the abduction.

“The agreement of sale showed that Ishmael Matyenyika had acquired the vehicle from the Zimbabwe Republic Police vehicle auction at Southerton Police and it was previous owned by the police (what a coincidence).”

“Furthermore, the testimony of the three witnesses who witnessed the abduction shows that Itai Dzamara was first placed under surveillance, then the kidnapping was planned.

“All the witnesses present at the barbershop were the abduction happened, testified that, before the abduction took place, they saw white double cab vehicles parked at all the street corners surrounding the barbershop.

“Photographic evidence and subsequent evidence in the police’ possession confirmed the existence of secret jails and of specially chosen places for clandestinely burying dead bodies,” Masiye wrote.

The picture of Itai Dzamara that was released in May 2016

On 30 May 2017, Zimbabweans woke up to a picture of a “detained” Itai Dzamara that was released by the family allegedly after being “sourced from some Zimbabwean state security agents.”

His brother Patson Dzamara told journalists that the image had been given to them along with details and names of his alleged abductors.

“I cannot at this juncture state my brother’s fate in the hands of these gangsters but I can categorically inform you Itai Dzamara was abducted by the military intelligence under the direct instruction and supervision of Zanu PF,” Patson said.

“This is one of the places where Itai was kept. We managed to verify the image. As a family we know him and we also used professional services in so far as identifying the person in the image is concerned.

“We do not know why his head is covered like this but according to the professionals there is a highly likelihood that they actually tortured him to such an extent that he sustained head injuries and because of that they had to cover the head,” Patson added.

Has there been any progress in 2025

Speaking in March 2025, Amnesty International Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah said; “Itai Dzamara’s family and loved ones have endured ten years without answers.

“The authorities have ignored calls for information and investigation, including from his wife Sheffra Dzamara. Zimbabwean authorities must urgently carry out an effective investigation into what happened to Itai Dzamara and end their official silence on his case.

“Authorities have yet to conduct any credible inquiry into Itai Dzamara’s fate or whereabouts.

“It is time for the authorities to stop pretending and get serious about finding Itai Dzamara and holding accountable whoever is suspected of responsibility for his enforced disappearance,” Chagutah added.

What can you do to help?

If you are reading this article, I urge you to pause and reflect.

There are an estimated 16.9 million Zimbabweans, someone somewhere knows something that could help shed light on what happened to him.

Dzamara contributed dozens of articles for Nehanda Radio in which he courageously shared his opinions on the prevailing situation in Zimbabwe.

We are committed to piecing together what happened to Dzamara and demanding justice for his family.

You can use Whatsapp +447748665050 or email [email protected] to securely send your information or tips. Every bit of information will be useful.

We accept there will be some who will want to abuse the platform to send misleading information, but from the haystack we expect to find some useful needles.