Outspoken Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa, has accused the government of violating the Missing Persons Act in its failure to enforce the law and bring closure to the case of Itai Dzamara, who disappeared in 2015 and believed to have been abducted by the state security agents.
Dzamara was a fierce critic of the late former president Robert Mugabe and his administration.
Speaking in Parliament Tuesday, Mliswa said it was high time powers-that-be brought closure to Dzamara’s disappearance.
“The Missing Persons Act states that after two years there has got to be a declaration that somebody who has been missing is dead,” said Mliswa.
“We seem not to be seeing it being enforced by the Ministry of Home Affairs. I say this because on this day the 9th, six years ago that is when Itai Dzamara went missing. We have spoken about this many times in Parliament and there was supposed to be a report back from the Executive pertaining to where the issue is.”
Mliswa further explained: “I thought about the mother and the wife yesterday to say for how long are they going to be in agony and I think it is about time it was brought to its logical conclusion. The Missing Persons Act also allows procedures to be taken and also the wind up of the estate as well.”
He said it was important for citizens to know what had happened as the President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ‘Second Republic’ disposed of the matter as it reforms.
“For me, I really thought about the wife and the mother yesterday to say, the agony that they are going through as a family is a bit too much and I think it must get to a point where we say yes he is dead and they are given a death certificate,” said Mliswa.
“The estate is wound up and life moves on. We seem to be holding them on to something that they are not in control of. As Parliament, we must be seen to be representing everyone in terms of national interest and to many others who are in the same predicament as well, can it also see its end.”
In his response National Assembly Speaker, Jacob Mudenda said: “We will advise the Honourable Minister of Home Affairs to take the necessary steps to have closure to this issue.”
