On March 30, 2026, unidentified individuals reportedly abducted Tafara Baynes Magodora, a student leader at Bindura University of Science Education, on his way to a meeting about a controversial constitutional amendment.

At approximately 9:20 am, Magodora was abducted from a bus stop while traveling to a public hearing for Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3, which would extend presidential term limits and replace the direct election of the president with a system in which Parliament elects the head of state. Magodora had been organizing students to attend the hearing and voice their opposition.

Three men in civilian clothing surrounded him at the bus stop, claiming he was on a police wanted list. When Magodora demanded identification, the men forced him into a vehicle and beat him. They took him to the Bindura Central Police Station, where officers accused him of “causing chaos at the university.” After being held for two days, he was charged with assault and released on bail. Upon his release, two suspected state security agents ordered him to leave Bindura “for his own good,” warning of further consequences if he did not cease his activism. Magodora suspended his studies and went into hiding due to safety concerns.

Magodora’s abduction followed a similar incident earlier than month involving a student from Chinhoyi University of Technology (see report).

According to rights groups, kidnappings and assaults targeting government critics, including student leaders, political activists, and journalists, are a common tool of state repression in Zimbabwe. The government has denied its involvement in the attacks and has alleged that a third party is attempting to damage the state’s reputation.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the abduction of a higher education student in apparent retaliation for their exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of association. State authorities should take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of scholars, students, and staff, including by investigating and holding perpetrators of such acts responsible, in line with international human rights standards. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, kidnappings that target student expression undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.zimeye.net/2026/03/30/bindura-university-student-leader-abducted/
https://www.facebook.com/jngarivhume/photos/tafara-baynes-magodora-was-reportedly-abducted-from-a-bus-stop-at-buse-few-minut/1500860014944377/
https://www.facebook.com/ZINASUzim/posts/alertwe-are-receiving-information-that-tafara-magodora-who-was-organising-buse-s/1430643242430739/
https://www.jurist.org/news/2026/04/zimbabwe-students-detained-for-protesting-proposed-constitutional-amendment-report/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2026/04/24/zimbabwe-crackdown-on-student-protesters-intensifies