Lydia T Chibwe and Bianca Knight of UP’s Centre for Human Rights detail cases of state-sponsored abductions in Zimbabwe.

The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is celebrated annually on 30 August and acts as a reminder of the numerous lives lost as a result of state-sponsored abductions. This is an opportune time for the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria (UP) to reflect on events in Zimbabwe, where political violence, persecution and unsolved disappearances have plagued the country for many years.

The Silobela 12 incident: A community's tragedy

The Silobela 12 case is one of Zimbabwe's most tragic incidents of enforced disappearance. On the night of 31 January 1985, Mbulali Mnkandla, a 76-year-old rural farmer, was kidnapped together 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 have consequently disappeared. Mbulali's grandson, Lizwe Mnkandla, describes his grandfather as "just an ordinary man" who became a victim of 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 massacred, with a great many more going missing. The Silobela 12 are only one group of thousands of citizens who were kidnapped and vanished, 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 journalist and political 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, and is 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.

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 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 families like those of the Silobela 12 and Itai Dzamara, justice and closure remain elusive. The NPRC, which was formed to redress prior infractions, is frequently viewed as ineffective since it lacks prosecutorial authority as its commissioners are selected by the president. 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 an appropriate reminder that the battle for justice and universal human rights continues. In Zimbabwe, this day is more than just about remembering the past; it is a call to action to guarantee that such crimes are universally condemned, reoccurrence be prevented and that the victims and their families receive the justice they deserve.