Thabiso Nxumalo
Zimbabweans commemorated journalist and human rights defender Itai Dzamara’s day of disappearance seven years on with heavy hearts as civic space and human rights violations continue to spiral out of control in the country.
Firebrand Human Rights Activist Makomborero Haruzivishe who was recently released from a 10 month-long incarceration, said Dzamara was his brother and comrade in the struggle for human rights and was pioneer of the social movement that is seen now in the country.
“I worked closely with Dzamara. I can safely say he taught me all I know now in as far as activism is concerned, he really was a pioneer as he is one of the founders of the social movement as we see it today.
“He was and will continue to be the epitome of radical and consistency, he had the gift of mobilizing and together we worked between 2014 through 2015 in projects such as Youths Network Alliance (YNA),” said Haruzivishe.
He added that Zimbabwe lost Dzamara as a nation, be it his loved ones or abductors, we all lost a gem and if he was still here today, he would still preach the gospel of registering to vote.
“To those that are responsible for his disappearance, I would like to tell them that we lost him together and to all of us who valued him, we will not tire until justice is served, we will win for him.
“He disappeared as a registered voter and as such, I know he will still preach the gospel of registering to vote; hence, I urge everyone to go out and register in numbers in his honour,” added Haruzivishe.
Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) Director, Jestina Mukoko said government must walk the talk in investigating the disappearance of Dzamara and expressed her condolences to his family.
“It is so sad that seven years later no one can account for a citizen’s life. My heart goes out to his mother, wife and children.
No one just disappears without a trace, someone should talk, someone knows where he went and at some point, powerful government officials said his disappearance was a barbaric act but those were just words, we need to follow up with action,” said Mukoko
In a poster made in honour of Dzamara, Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP), Zimbabwe Human Rights Association of Zimbabwe (ZIMRIGHTS) and Amnesty International wrote that they offer free haircuts at selected barbershops in Highfield on the day since he was abducted leaving a barbershop in the area.
During the third cycle of the United Nations Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva, Switzerland held on January 26, 2022, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Ziyambi Ziyambi said the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) are still investigating the disappearance of Dzamara giving regular updates to the ministry.
“The judiciary takes every matter seriously, with cases such as the disappearance of Itai Dzamara still ongoing with fortnight updates from the police,” said Ziyambi.
