According
to
the
Zimbabwe
National
Students
Union
(ZINASU),
the
students—Lindon
Zanga
and
Marlvin
Saint
Madanda—were
violently
abducted
at
Mzimba
Shopping
Centre
in
Chinhoyi.
The
union
said
the
pair
was
taken
by
unidentified
people
in
an
unmarked
grey
Isuzu,
a
vehicle
that
had
been
seen
on
campus
distributing
campaign
materials
for
their
rivals,
the
Zimbabwe
Congress
of
Students’
Union
(ZICOSU).
Zanga
and
Madanda
were
allegedly
tortured,
threatened,
and
beaten
for
more
than
12
hours
before
being
dumped.
They
were
taken
to
Chinhoyi
Police
Station
and
later
to
a
local
hospital
for
treatment.
In
a
statement
issued
on
Tuesday,
11
November,
before
the
students
were
found,
ZINASU
president
Emmanuel
Sitima
alleged
that
the
abductions
were
part
of
a
broader
attempt
to
intimidate
students
and
silence
dissenting
voices
on
campus. The
statement
reads:
“It
is
of
greater
concern
that,
as
the
Zimbabwe
National
Students
Union
(ZINASU),
we
wake
up
today
to
sing
the
same
script
of
abduction,
terror
and
danger
for
student
leaders
who
are
doing
nothing
more
than
just
campaigning
in
an
SRC
election.
“The
two
student
leaders
were
snatched
away
in
front
of
dozens
of
witnesses
in
a
brazen
act
of
banditry
that
has
not
only
instilled
fear
but
also
a
clear
exposure
of
the
modus
operandi
of
the
rogue
regime
that
is
seemingly
scared
of
an
open
contestation
of
ideas.
“The
presence
of
the Zanu-PF Youth
League
in
Chinhoyi,
especially
the
notorious
presence
of
the
Youth
League
Political
Commissar Taurai Kandishaya,
who
has
a
sordid
history
of
doing
everything
necessary
and
unnecessary
to
please
his
bosses,
should
not
be
cast
aside.
“He
is
notorious
for
threats
and
exposing
innocent
citizens
who
dare
to
think
differently
from
the Zanu-PF script;
his
hand
is
ever
more
visible
in
this
situation,
and
he
is
the
main
source
of
this
conflict.
“An
SRC
election
is
a
pure
and
representative
form
of
student
politics
that
is
supposed
to
give
young
people
a
glimpse
into
leadership,
but
the
rogue
elements
in
power
use
state
resources
to
silence
any
dissenting
voices
against
their
autocratic
and
archaic
form
of
governance.
“Zimbabwe
does
not
require
thugs
in
leadership
who
are
ready
to
sacrifice
young
people
to
win
a
university
election.
“Many
people
who
have
been
abducted
by
this
regime
have
disappeared
forever;
the
likes
of Itai Dzamara are
forever
gone,
but
his
disappearance
was
treated
as
a
non-event.
“This
comes
as
a
panic
reaction
from
both
the
opposing
student
union
ZICOSU,
which
is
directly
sponsored
by
the
oppressive
ruling
regime
ZANU
PF,
and
a
strong
indication
of
attempts
to
silence
the
students’
voice.
“It’s
another
reality
that
students
have
ceased
to
be
seen
as
beacons
of
academic
excellence,
but
in
the
eyes
of
a
jittery
regime,
they
are
terrorists
that
seek
to
defy
an
oppressive
agenda.
“The
Desperation
of
this
administration
has
now
reached
a
boiling
point,
and
as
the
bona
fide
students’
Union
of
Zimbabwe,
we
have
now
drawn
a
line
in
the
sand
where
we
say
that
enough
is
enough
and
business
can
no
longer
continue
as
usual
under
such
circumstances.
“NOT
when
the
parents
of
the
two
Comrades
do
not
know
where
their
children
are,
when
other
students
live
in
perennial
fear
of
exercising
their
Constitutionally
guaranteed
rights
due
to
a
system
so
paranoid
of
its
own
children.
“The
Authorities
at
CUT,
in
cahoots
with
the
regime,
portray
themselves
as
a
saintly
administration
when
it
does
Satanic
rituals
behind
the
scenes.
“Zanu-PF brought
a
list
of
washed-up
celebrities
to
sing
for
the
suffering
students
of
Chinhoyi,
but
whilst
they
sang,
their
masters
were
mooting
behind
the
scenes
to
bring
fear
and
untoward
suffering
to
the
general
populace.
“When
students’
rights
matter,
the
government
has
looked
the
other
way.
This
is
an
action
that
should
be
condemned
as
outrageous,
archaic,
and
anathema
to
progressive
democracy.
“Campuses
should
be
safe
havens
where
students
seek
accountability,
defy
oppression,
and
call
for
academic
freedom.
“As Zinasu,
we
have
vowed
to
respond
with
the
language
they
understand
the
most
until
our
Comrades
are
safely
returned.
“We
are
giving
those
responsible
to
act
in
a
jiffy
and
return
our
Cdes.
Zimbabwe
is
not
for
them
but
for
all
of
Us.
“As
we
utilise
other
legal
avenues,
we
believe
this
issue
is
supreme,
the
liberty
of
students
is
at
risk,
and
the
detects
of
the
Constitution
should
be
adhered
to.”