By Political Reporter- A senior Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operative long linked to the abductions of political activists during the late President Robert Mugabe’s regime, Walter Basopo, has died.
Basopo, believed to be a close relative of President Emmerson Mnangagwa, reportedly passed away at a hospital in Chinhoyi on Tuesday, according to family sources.
Mourners were seen heading to his home in Chinhoyi on Tuesday evening following the announcement of his death.
Basopo’s name has surfaced multiple times in connection with the 2015 disappearance of pro-democracy activist and journalist Itai Dzamara, who was abducted in broad daylight by suspected state agents in Harare’s Glen View suburb.
Dzamara had become a prominent critic of Mugabe’s government through his “Occupy Africa Unity Square” campaign, where he regularly held solo protests demanding Mugabe’s resignation.
In the weeks leading up to his disappearance, Dzamara had received numerous threats from state security agents and was frequently arrested or assaulted by police.
On March 9, 2015, he was forcibly taken by five men who accused him of stealing cattle, bundled into an unmarked white truck, and never seen again.
His family, civil society, and international human rights groups have continuously called for justice, but the state has denied any involvement, offering no meaningful updates on the case for years.
Basopo was among the CIO agents whose names were repeatedly mentioned by insiders and human rights organisations as being part of the special operations team responsible for silencing dissenters during the Mugabe era.
His death adds a chilling layer of finality to the unresolved mystery of Dzamara’s fate.
In a twist of fate, Basopo died on the same day as Retired Brigadier General Victor Rungani, another of Mugabe’s key enforcers, whose death was also confirmed on Tuesday.
Rungani, originally from Bikita in Masvingo Province, was a senior member of the Joint Operations Command (JOC)—a shadowy structure composed of army, police, intelligence, and prison chiefs that coordinated ZANU PF’s security and political strategies.
During the violent and highly contested June 2008 presidential run-off, Rungani was reportedly tasked with overseeing operations in Mashonaland East, where widespread torture, beatings, and killings were unleashed on opposition supporters in what human rights groups called a “campaign of terror.”
The violence was so severe that opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai withdrew from the race, paving the way for Mugabe to claim a hollow victory.
Rungani’s death was announced by the Children of War Veterans Association (COZWVA), where his son, Hardlife Rungani, remains an active member.
Both Basopo and Rungani were emblematic of a generation of state security operatives and military commanders who operated with impunity, often targeting opposition voices and human rights activists under the guise of maintaining national security.
Their deaths mark the slow fading of Mugabe’s old guard, but the wounds they left—like the unresolved disappearance of Itai Dzamara—continue to haunt Zimbabwe’s journey toward justice and accountability.