Marshall Bwanya
Harare—The reported abduction of environmental activist Nadia Vongai Mabvirakare who went missing on 5 March has taken a new twist, with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) downplaying the tragic incident and charging her for alleged theft instead.
Her abduction has implicated a ruling Zanu PF member.
Mabvirakare had been missing for almost a week and was discovered on 10 March in Mutare’s Dangamvura neighborhood by residents, with relatives and friends saying she was in a state of severe shock.
Her disappearance is linked to her ongoing environmental rehabilitation project at Chemapango Secondary School in Murewa, more than 200km away from Mutare.
Mabvirakare is running a carbon credit tree-planting initiative under her Green Rebirth Trust that is aimed at growing over one million fruit trees.
Her disappearance caused a stir on social media, family members and her friends demanding her immediate return, lobbying the police to thoroughly probe the matter amid suspicions that politically connected individuals were behind her abduction in order to wrest the lucrative initiative from the young activist.
Mabvirakare is currently admitted at an unnamed Harare hospital.
National police spokesperson, Paul Nyathi, in a formal statement dated 11 March, firmly dismissed the alleged abduction.
Nyathi, instead, mostly focused on detailing the alleged theft of trust property involving Mabvirakure as a suspect and did not support his claim that she was not abducted.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police has noted with concern social media posts on the alleged missing of Vongai Nadai Mabvirakure (Mabvirakare). The information is misleading the public on the exact position on the ground and police investigations.
“Vongai Nadia Mabvirakure (Mabvirakare) is a suspect in a case of contravening Section 113 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, Chapter 9, 23, Theft of trust property,” said Nyathi in the statement.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police has since located the suspect. She is currently in hospital under police guard. Full scale investigations are currently under way in relation to the Theft of trust property case and her family’s allegations,” he added.
Ironically, the theft charge against Mabvirakure is linked to a Zanu PF functionary, Batsirai Matiza, from whose company the police are alleging she stole the money given to her in trust to buy inputs for the tree planting project.
Relatives and associates of the activist have questioned Matiza’s actions in the wake of Mabvirakure’s abduction.
But even as he sought to dismiss the abduction report, Nyathi still acknowledged that ZRP was investigating the matter.
This conflicting narrative has fuelled suspicions of a deliberate attempt to obscure the truth, particularly given Mabvirakare’s high-profile environmental work and her ongoing legal dispute with Matiza.
Mabvirakare’s ambitious project had generated much attention for its potential to transform environmental sustainability in Zimbabwe and become a lucrative business venture.
However, as financial pressures mounted, Mabvirakare sought support from various individuals, including key political figures.
Initially, she approached Zanu PF Information director, Farai Marapira, for assistance with her carbon credit project.
Marapira assured her that he would facilitate investment from the first lady, Auxillia Mnangagwa.
However, he later suggested that another Zanu PF figure, Batsirai Matiza, would be a more suitable partner.
Matiza reportedly invested over US$20,000 into the initiative.
As the project’s potential became evident—with projections suggesting it could evolve into a million-dollar enterprise—Matiza allegedly sought to seize control.
Mabvirakare, determined to protect her work, filed an urgent High Court application (HCH945/25) to prevent Matiza from taking over.
In response, Matiza requested an out-of-court settlement.
However, on the scheduled settlement date, neither Matiza nor his lawyers appeared, instead offering a vague apology and proposing another meeting, which they also failed to attend.
The situation took a nastier turn when Mabvirakare was abducted on 5 March, the same day as the rescheduled meeting for the out-of-court settlement.
Prior to her abduction, unknown individuals were said to have tailed and monitored her.
Her disappearance not only disrupted the project, but also rendered her unable to attend court.
Human rights activist, Abigale Mupambi, on Tuesday addressed a press conference in the capital and implicated Matiza in the kidnapping, citing his suspicious behaviour during Mabvirakare’s disappearance.
“Throughout the project, Matiza never once visited. However, for the first time, during Nadia’s disappearance, he showed up, taking pictures and posting them on social media in a celebratory mode,” Mupambi stated.
“That is extremely primitive at a time when we are searching for a woman who has invested so much in national development,” she added.
She further revealed that project workers had also raised concerns about Matiza’s actions.
“During his first visit in Nadia’s absence, he carelessly assured workers: Don’t worry, I can now work with you directly.”
According to Mupambi, Matiza even reached out to suppliers and service providers, inquiring about outstanding balances and assuming control of operations and informed them that he was taking over since the activist was no longer part of the project.
The abduction docket was opened at Chitungwiza Central Police Station under RRB 7346710.
However, tensions have risen between her family and the police regarding the testing and treatment process.
The family fears that medical tests conducted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, a government-run facility, could be compromised, particularly in relation to evidence of possible torture or alleged drugging suffered during her captivity.
They are pushing for independent medical examinations at a neutral facility.