We Did Not Kill Dzamara, Says Mnangagwa Government

Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Government has described as ‘diplomatically unhelpful’ calls by the European Union (EU) for the Harare Administration to shed light on the fate of missing pro-democracy activist Itai Dzamara, saying it did not have a hand in his mysterious disappearance.

The Government response came after the EU in Zimbabwe posted Monday on its Twitter handle that:
“Five years after his abduction, Itai #Dzamara remains missing. We call on Govt to shed light on his fate (and) serve justice, and to tackle all human rights violations decisively, in line with #Zimbabwe’s repeated commitment to human rights, freedoms (and) national healing. #EU4democracy”.

On behalf of Harare, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Ndavaningi ‘Nick’ Mangwana said the Government made efforts to establish the whereabouts of the journalist-cum-political activist by tasking skilled detectives to investigate the matter and pledging a reward of US$10 000 on anyone with information leading to Dzamara’s whereabouts.
Speculation is rife that Dzamara, who disappeared in 2015 during the presidency of Zimbabwe’s late long-ruling despot Robert Mugabe, could have been aducted and subsequently assasinated by state-hired assasins.

“Government has noted with concern a statement issued by the European Union on their Twitter handle in which they said Government should ‘shed light and serve justice’ on the disappearance of Mr Itai Dzamara who went missing in March 2015”, said Mangwana in a statement.

“To this Government, every Zimbabwean counts. It is therefore diplomatically unhelpful and misleading to insinuate that Government does not intend to shed light into Mr Dzamara’s disappearance, as if it had a hand in it”, he said.
This comes hard-on-the-heels of a petition to Mnangagwa by the missing activist’s wife, Shefra Dzamara on Monday this week calling for clarity on her missing husband’s fate.

In a heart-breaking letter, Sheffra said she was caught between hope, grief and the pain of not knowing her husband’s whereabouts.
“My name is Sheffra Dzamara, I am the wife of Itai Peace Dzamara who was forcibly disappeared on the 9th of March 2015 and still remains unaccountable for,” Sheffra wrote to the Zimbabwean strongman.
“President Mnangagwa, it’s now five years without knowing where my husband is or what happened to him. I am writing to appeal to your office to resolve the case of Itai Dzamara. Tell us his fate. I need to know what to tell my kids who are growing up with the hope that their father is coming home”, she wrote.
Dzamara went missing after he was allegedly abducted by suspected state security operatives at a barbershop in the populous Glen View suburb in Harare.
Zwnews