ZANU PF Mashonaland East district secretary for lands, Tinashe Atherners Muzama, has been confined to a wheelchair after allegedly being abducted and tortured by party activists for opposing a push to extend President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s term to 2030.
Mnangagwa, currently serving his second and final term due to expire in 2028, faces pressure from loyalists seeking to prolong his rule, despite opposition from the public, ZANU-PF structures, and war veterans.
In Mashonaland East, where Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe chairs the party, there is widespread resistance to the so-called ED2030 agenda.
Muzama, a resident of Munemo village in Murewa, reportedly suffered broken bones and was injected with an unknown substance following his abduction on February 26.
According to a police report, his alleged abductors, Benny Wadzanai Chivandire, ZANU-PF Mashonaland East provincial deputy secretary for local government, and Zacharia Chaparadza, ZANU-PF youth chairperson for Rupange district, Ward 10, claimed they were acting under instructions to “discipline” him over his anti-2030 stance.
The two accused faced abduction charges in court on May 21. Muzama has since expressed frustration at police inaction.
On August 19, Zimbabwe Republic Police assistant commissioner H. Dhlakama confirmed receiving a complaint from Muzama and said investigations were underway, with results to be communicated upon completion.
According to the state outline, the accused, who were travelling in a Toyota GD6 vehicle, admitted they were following orders to abduct Muzama. The report reads:
“While in the vehicle, the accused persons accused the complainant of insulting Honourable Garwe on social media.
“Accused persons further asked complainant the whereabouts of war veteran Blessed Geza and alleged that the complainant was working in cahoots with Blessed Geza to influence the masses to reject the 2030 agenda.
“Accused persons and other three who are still at large took turns to assault the complainant with switches, logs and empty beer bottles all over his body.
“Accused one (Chivandire) went on to inject the complaint with unknown substances on both legs.”
He was abandoned in Marondera near Bernard Mzeki College, with his V30 phone reported missing.
When approached by The Standard, Garwe denied any involvement in the alleged campaign of intimidation, insisting that his political opponents were using his name to damage his reputation. He said:
“Vision 2030 is a national vision. All then ten provinces and everyone in the ten provinces support vision 2030.
“There are one or two elements who oppose, why should we lose sleep over that?
“Why should I force an individual in a country of 16 million people, where 85% are saying we want 2030 vision?
“Why should I worry about an individual?
“It does not make sense, and why would I need to harass people to support 2030
“It’s by persuasion. We persuade people why we think the president must continue serving Zimbabwe up to 2030 and beyond on the bases that he has demonstrated his capacity towards developing the country, look at informal development, agriculture, local governance, education, tourism, every sector.
“We don’t need to harass anyone for anything. As ZANU-PF, we dont harass people, we persuade people.”
Meanwhile, on 10 September, Murewa residents petitioned Garwe, demanding answers regarding Muzama’s case and his alleged attempts to dissolve the Murewa Council Town Board.
