Chinhoyi – Human rights organisations and opposition figures have condemned the alleged abduction and assault of two student leaders from the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) at Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT), describing the incident as part of a long-standing pattern of politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe.
The Chinhoyi students, 23-year-old Marlvin Madanda and 21-year-old Lindon Zanga, were reportedly abducted on Monday, 11 November 2025, following student election campaigns on campus. The following day, they were discovered dumped and severely beaten. The incident has sparked outrage among human rights defenders and political actors, who warn that it reflects a worrying trend of targeting dissenting voices across educational and civic spaces in the country.
In a statement, Amnesty International condemned the attacks, highlighting their threat to basic freedoms.
“These incidents threaten not only freedoms of assembly, expression, and association, but also students’ rights to education, non-discrimination, academic freedom, and participation in university life,” the organisation said.
Amnesty urged Zimbabwean authorities to conduct a full and impartial investigation, ensuring that students and young leaders can organise and express themselves without fear of harassment, intimidation, or abuse. The organisation warned that continued impunity would embolden further violations and erode confidence in state institutions tasked with protecting citizens.
Two Student Leaders Abducted in Chinhoyi
Former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa also spoke out against the alleged abduction, calling for decisive action from the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP). Writing on X (formerly Twitter), Chamisa said:
“Dear @PoliceZimbabwe, Why should this terrorism and primitive brutality on harmless students and simple innocent citizens be allowed to continue like this? Mr Mnangagwa, why should this not worry or concern you? Mugabe was bad. This is worse. So barbaric. This is pure evil!!”
Chamisa’s comments echo widespread concern that politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe has extended beyond the corridors of formal politics into universities and youth movements.
The alleged abduction of Madanda and Zanga evokes painful memories of Zimbabwe’s troubled post-independence history, when enforced disappearances became a tool of political intimidation. One of the earliest and most notorious cases involved Rashiwe Guzha, a 25-year-old secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, who disappeared in 1990 after being summoned to work outside normal hours. Her disappearance, widely believed to involve state security agents, shocked the nation and remains unresolved.
Abductions became a recurring feature of Zimbabwe’s political landscape, particularly during periods of heightened opposition activity. During the 2000s, amid growing challenges from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), dozens of opposition supporters, journalists, and civil society activists were abducted, tortured, or killed. The 2008 presidential runoff election was marked by widespread violence, enforced disappearances, and intimidation, with many cases linked to state security forces and ruling party militias.
More recent years have seen a continuation of politically motivated abductions. In 2019, MDC youth leader Tinashe Chitsunge and activists Tapiwa and Tatenda Muwonge were abducted and tortured. In 2020, three female opposition activists—Joana Mamombe, Cecilia Chimbiri, and Netsai Marova—were allegedly seized by armed men, sexually assaulted, and abandoned outside Harare after a peaceful protest.
In 2022, opposition activist Moreblessing Ali was abducted in Nyatsime, with her dismembered body later discovered, deepening fears of impunity and signaling a resurgence of politically motivated disappearances. Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, have consistently criticised the state for failing to conduct thorough investigations into such cases. The United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has also expressed concern, urging Zimbabwe to domesticate international conventions protecting citizens from such abuses.
The latest attack on ZINASU leaders highlights the ongoing culture of intimidation against dissenting voices in Zimbabwe. Observers note that politically motivated violence now extends beyond mainstream political arenas into universities, labour movements, and civic spaces, signaling a shrinking democratic space and growing authoritarian tendencies within the state.
While the government has repeatedly denied involvement in such abductions, the pattern of impunity, lack of prosecutions, and repeated targeting of opposition and civil society actors continues to cast doubt on official claims. Analysts argue that unless decisive action is taken, incidents like the alleged abduction of Madanda and Zanga will perpetuate fear among youth activists and students, undermining freedom of expression and democratic participation.
Human rights defenders, opposition figures, and students’ groups are now demanding that the Zimbabwean authorities take urgent steps to investigate and prosecute those responsible. They stress that protecting students’ rights is not only a legal obligation but also critical to ensuring peaceful, vibrant, and participatory university campuses.
The abduction of ZINASU leaders serves as a stark reminder that while Zimbabwe has made strides in some areas of governance, politically motivated violence and intimidation remain pressing challenges, threatening the country’s democratic development and the safety of its citizens.
Source- ZimEye
