By Lydia Chibwe and Bianca Knight
The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is annually celebrated on the 30th of August and acts as a reminder of the thousands of lives lost as a result of state-sponsored abductions. On this day, the Centre for Human Rights, University of Pretoria reflects on a few events as they occurred in Zimbabwe, where political violence, persecution and unsolved disappearances have plagued the country for years.
The Silobela 12 incident: A Community's Tragedy
The Silobela 12 case is one of Zimbabwe's most tragic incidents of enforced disappearances. On the night of the 31st of January 1985, Mbulali Mnkandla, a 76-year-old rural farmer, was kidnapped along with 11 other men. They were accused of being members of an armed rebel group during the Gukurahundi murders and were taken to a secret military facility where they were consequently disappeared. Mbulali's grandson, Lizwe Mnkandla, describes his grandfather as "just an ordinary man" who fell victim to state brutality and violence.
The Gukurahundi, which lasted from 1983 to 1987, was a period of harsh persecution in Zimbabwe, targeting the Ndebele minority in the southern Matabeleland and central Midlands regions. During this time, an estimated 20,000 individuals were killed, with a great many more who disappeared, never to be found again. The Silobela 12 are only one group of the thousands of citizens who vanished after abduction, causing their families continuous grief, uncertainty and distress.
Itai Dzamara: A Modern Symbol of Repression
Decades later, the practice of enforced disappearances still haunts Zimbabwe. Itai Dzamara, a famous journalist and political, pro-democracy activist, was seized in March 2015 after publicly criticising the former regime under President Robert Mugabe. Dzamara's abduction is largely regarded to be politically motivated, a disturbing reminder of the state's hostility towards dissidents. Despite international criticism and requests for an inquiry, Dzamara's whereabouts remain unknown, and his family is still seeking information and justice.
Silencing Dissenting Voices: A Political Strategy?
Enforced disappearances have remained a relentless strategy of political intimidation and coercion wherein members of parliament, opposition political activists and human rights defenders have been subjected to abductions, torture, arbitrary detentions and disapperances. Abductions or enforced disappearances were a commonly used strategy during the Gukurahundi operation. Vicente and Nudd (2021) state that:
Enforced disappearances are further used in many African countries to suppress the regime’s critics and any political opposition in the run up to or post-election period. In Zimbabwe, election cycles are often associated with a rise of enforced disappearances against opposition leaders. Most famously, in 2008, during the disputed election between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the Zimbabwe NGO Forum documented 137 disappearances…
Zimbabwe has a history of human rights abuses plagued by violence during election periods, including abductions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and excessive police force. Authorities are increasingly restricting civic spaces as security forces disrupt and disband peaceful protests. The government has instilled fear in the hearts of nonconformists, significantly undermining their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.
These claims are supported by various situations that unfolded following President Mnangagwa's October 2023 announcement of by-elections. He publicly declared that by-elections would be held early December in constituency areas, following the recall of 14 Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) legislators by the self-proclaimed party Interim Secretary General, Sengezo Tshabangu. On the 13th of November, the body of Tapfumanei Masaya, CCC activist and church leader, was discovered on a farm in Mashonaland East Province. Tapfumanei had been abducted along with fellow activist, Jeffrey Kalosi, on the 11th of November during the party's by-election campaign. Kalosi was brutally beaten and left at Chabwino farm hours later, near the location where Tapfumanei's body was found several days later. On the 26th of August, suspected state security agents disrupted a CCC press conference and attempted to arrest the party’s national spokesperson, Promise Mkwananzi. Media members and others, including opposition activist Nelson Mukwenha, intervened, preventing the abduction. Later that evening, Mukwenha was abducted from his home, tortured and dumped in a forest on the border of Harare. On the 2nd of September, an elected city council member, Womberaiishe Nhende, and his friend Sanele Mkhuhlane, were abducted, tortured and drugged before being dumped on the outskirts of Harare.
The Struggle for Remembrance
Efforts to honour and memorialise the victims of enforced disappearances in Zimbabwe have been resisted. On the International Day of Enforced Disappearances in 2023, the activist organisation Ibetshu Likazulu installed a commemorative plaque to honour the Silobela 12. However, the plaque was vandalised within a single day, demonstrating continued efforts to remove these traumatic memories from public consciousness. Similar destruction has occurred at other memorial sites, including Bhalagwe, where hundreds of dead from the Gukurahundi era are thought to have been disposed of in a mining shaft.
These acts of sabotage are commonly thought to have been planned by state agents, reflecting its unwillingness to confront and accept historical atrocities. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was head of state security during the Gukurahundi, has acknowledged the need for reconciliation but was criticised for his participation in the bloodshed while the National Peace and Reconciliation Commission (NPRC) has been ineffective in meeting its mandate on the matter.
A Path to Justice
For the families of the Silobela 12, Itai Dzamara, Tapfumanei Masaya, Jeffrey Kalosi and many others, justice and closure remain elusive. The NPRC, which was formed to redress prior infractions, is frequently viewed as ineffective since it lacks prosecutorial authority. This view stems from the fact that the NPRC commissioners are selected by the president himself. Critics contend that real reconciliation requires a victim-centred approach, including an honest acknowledgment of state violence and responsibility for those involved. Despite these obstacles, the memories of those who vanished cannot be eradicated. The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is a harsh yet hopeful reminder that the battle for justice and universal human rights continues. In Zimbabwe, this day is more than just about remembering the past injustices; it is a call for action to guarantee the universal condemnation of such crimes, for re-occurrence to be prevented and to ensure victims and their families receive the justice they deserve. Memorialisation, justice and guarantees of non-recurrence are an important part of reconciliation and peace-building.
