By Crime and Courts Reporter-Zanu PF Director of Information, Farai Marapira, has been implicated in the disappearance of environmental activist and farmer Nadia Vongai Mabvirakare.
Nadia was allegedly abducted from her home in Chitungwiza last Wednesday evening.
A police report has been filed at Makoni Police Station under RRB Number 6346710, but authorities have yet to make any progress in locating her.
Reports suggest that Mabvirakare’s disappearance is linked to a group of politically connected individuals, including Batsirai Joel Matiza, the son of the late Transport Minister Joel Biggie Matiza.
Batsirai, a Zanu PF national youth member for the environment, is accused of attempting to seize control of Mabvirakare’s Murewa farming project.
Mabvirakare, a key figure in Green Rebirth, an environmental advocacy organization, was known for her resistance toillegal land grabs disguised as development initiatives.
After discovering Matiza’s alleged intentions to take over the Murewa project unlawfully, the Green Rebirth board urgently filed a High Court application to block the move.
The same day the case was brought before the court, suspicious individuals—including a CID officer identified as Shenje from Murewa—were reportedly seen near her home. Later that evening, as Mabvirakare stepped outside to lock her gate, she was abducted and has not been seen since.
On Monday night, an X user identified as @DrAfricanPride accused Marapira and Matiza of being involved in Mabvirakare’s disappearance.
Marapira, however, denied any wrongdoing, stating that his only role was introducing Mabvirakare to Matiza when she sought support for her farming project.
“That was the end of my involvement, apart from occasional updates from both of them, excited about their project,” Marapira said.
He further explained that tensions arose in January when Matiza informed him that an audit team had uncovered financial mismanagement by Mabvirakare.
“As the person who introduced them, I went to his office to understand better. After they explained, I texted Nadia, asking to meet her and discuss the matter,” he said.
Marapira claims that Mabvirakare agreed to meet him the next day and told him that the case had already been reported to the police.
“She told me to ask Matiza to suspend the police report and suggested we meet at a neutral venue,” he stated.
Marapira has since demanded a public retraction from @DrAfricanPride.
“Be responsible enough to acknowledge publicly that your assertions against me were unwarranted, since you also made them publicly. Maybe next time, an inquiry first would help,” he added.
Mabvirakare’s case follows a disturbing pattern of politically motivated abductions in Zimbabwe, where individuals with strong ties to Zanu PF and state security agencies have targeted activists, opposition figures, and government critics.
For decades, enforced disappearances have been used as a tool of repression.
Most abductions follow a familiar script: victims are seized by unidentified men, held incommunicado, tortured, and later dumped in remote areas—if they are found at all.
Meanwhile, the government routinely denies involvement, and law enforcement agencies fail to investigate or hold perpetrators accountable.
Zanu PF officials and politically connected individuals have repeatedly weaponized state institutions—including the police, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), and the military—to suppress dissent, intimidate opponents, and seize land and resources.
Human rights groups, opposition leaders, and international organizations have condemned Mabvirakare’s abduction, demanding urgent action.
Amnesty International, the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, and other advocacy groups have called for an immediate investigation and the safe return of Mabvirakare.
However, given Zimbabwe’s history of state-sponsored violence and impunity, many fear that her case—like countless others—will be ignored, downplayed, or outright denied by authorities.
Mabvirakare’s family, colleagues, and fellow activists are now urging international organizations, diplomatic missions, and civil society groups to intervene and pressure the government for her release.