By Crime and Courts Reporter-The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has rushed to shield top Zanu PF official Farai Marapira and Batsirai Joel Matiza in a case where the two have been implicated in the abduction of environmental activist and farmer, Nadia Vongai Mabvirakare.
Mabvirakare was allegedly abducted from her home in Chitungwiza last Wednesday evening, with the police only confirming her disappearance on Tuesday.
However, in a suspicious turn of events, the police later claimed she was under arrest—without explaining where she had been taken from or why she was now hospitalised.
This pattern of abductions followed by arrests is not new in Zimbabwe.
In 2020, MDC Alliance activists Joanna Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova were abducted and later arrested, despite overwhelming evidence of state complicity in their disappearances.
In their Tuesday statement, the police admitted that Nadia had gone missing from her home but failed to provide a clear explanation of how she ended up under police custody in the hospital.
This development only strengthens suspicions that she was indeed abducted, and only after pressure from media reports—especially by ZimEye—did the authorities attempt to sanitise the situation.
Mabvirakare’s family had filed a missing person report at Makoni Police Station under RRB Number 6346710, confirming that she was unaccounted for before the police’s sudden arrest narrative.
Reports suggest that her disappearance is linked to a group of politically connected individuals, including Batsirai Joel Matiza, the son of the late Transport Minister Joel Biggie Matiza, and Zanu PF Information Director Farai Marapira.
Batsirai, a Zanu PF national youth leader for the environment, is accused of attempting to take over Mabvirakare’sMurewa farming project.
Mabvirakare, a key figure in Green Rebirth—an environmental advocacy organisation—was known for resisting illegal land grabs disguised as development initiatives.
When she discovered Matiza’s alleged plans to seize the Murewa project unlawfully, Green Rebirth urgently filed a High Court application to block the move.
That same day, suspicious individuals—including a CID officer identified as Shenje from Murewa—were seen near her home.
Later that evening, as Mabvirakare stepped outside to lock her gate, she was abducted.
On Monday night, an X (formerly Twitter) user, @DrAfricanPride, directly accused Marapira and Matiza of involvement in Mabvirakare’s disappearance.
Marapira has since admitted to interacting with Nadia before her disappearance but denies wrongdoing.
He claims his only role was introducing her 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 stated that tensions arose in January when Matiza informed him that an audit team had uncovered financial mismanagement by Mabvirakare.
Marapira insists that he reached out to Mabvirakare to discuss the matter, but she allegedly suggested delaying police action and meeting at a neutral venue.
He has since demanded a public retraction from @DrAfricanPride for implicating him.
Mabvirakare’s case follows a disturbing trend of politically motivated abductions in Zimbabwe, where Zanu PF and state security agencies have targeted activists, opposition figures, and government critics.
For decades, enforced disappearances have been a tool of repression.
The script remains the same: 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 weaponised state institutions—including the police, Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), and the military—to suppress dissent, intimidate opponents, and seize land and resources.
Police Statement: A Shield for Zanu PF Elites
In a clear bid to cover up for Marapira and Matiza, the police released a statement Tuesday blaming Nadia for theft.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police has noted with concern social media posts on the alleged missing of Vongai Nadia Mabvirakare. The information is misleading the public on the exact position on the ground and police investigations,” the statement read.
The police further claimed that Mabvirakare is a suspect in a case of “Theft of trust property” under Section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9:23, with the complainant being Tichabaiwa Gwadu, representing the Matiza Foundation.
According to the police, Mabvirakare, through her company Green Rebirth Trust, partnered with the Matiza Foundation in September 2024 to construct a greenhouse at Chomupunga Business Centre, Murewa. She was allegedly given USD 15,200 to acquire materials but instead “converted the money to personal use” and obtained supplies on credit.
However, this narrative conveniently aligns with the interests of Matiza, raising serious questions about whether this is yet another fabricated case to discredit an activist resisting politically connected land grabs.
Human rights groups, opposition leaders, and international organisations have condemned Mabvirakare’s abduction, demanding immediate accountability.
The police’s failure to explain how she ended up in a hospital under guard—after being confirmed missing—has only fueled suspicions of a cover-up to protect Zanu PF elites.