Suspended Zanu PF member Godwin Gomwe’s 73-year-old mother was abducted on Friday night and later dumped in Norton, according to reports.
Gomwe stated that his mother was forcibly taken by six suspected state security agents around 8 pm. The assailants, driving an unmarked Toyota GD6, were reportedly searching for his brother, Gifford.
Gifford, like his older brother Godwin, is a vocal critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s alleged efforts to extend his rule beyond the constitutionally permitted two five-year terms. Gifford had previously contested in Zanu PF primaries for the Zvimba West constituency, running against Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and incumbent legislator Mercy Maruva-Dinha. Due to his political stance, Gifford has faced expulsion attempts, vandalism of his car, and damage to his rural home.
The suspected Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) operatives reportedly broke down doors, threatened to kill Gomwe’s mother, and burn down her Budiriro 5 house.
Recorded phone calls between Gomwe and the abductors revealed that they intended to take her to their Zvimba rural home to force her to disclose Gifford’s whereabouts. In the recordings, Gomwe pleaded with the abductors to release his mother, who had not eaten or taken her medication since being taken from her home.
The kidnappers reportedly abandoned their plan after encountering a police roadblock near Carina along the Harare-Bulawayo highway. Fearing detection, they pushed Gomwe’s mother out of the vehicle near a Norton roadblock before making a U-turn toward Harare. She then approached the police for help.
Gomwe stated that the men had pressured his mother for information about Gifford but did not explain why they were searching for him. After being abandoned, she walked about 50 meters to the Carina roadblock, where police contacted Gomwe to retrieve her.
A report of abduction and unlawful entry has been filed at Budiriro Police Station under RRB number 6414038.
Gomwe and nine other Zanu PF members remain suspended from the party after challenging a faction supporting Mnangagwa’s extended rule beyond the constitutional limit of 2028. They have yet to be reinstated.