On March 30, 2026, unidentified individuals abducted two student leaders from Bulawayo Polytechnic while they were attending a meeting regarding a controversial constitutional amendment.

At the time of their abduction, Munashe Dongonda, Secretary General of the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), and Denford Sithole, an engineering student and student leader, were attending a public consultation in Nketa about 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.

After Sithole spoke out against the amendment, men in civilian clothing accosted him and Dongonda, accusing them of “wanting to cause chaos.” The men dragged the students outside, beat them, and forced Sithole into a vehicle. The assailants drove Sithole to an undisclosed office building, where they threatened to kill him before interrogating him. During the assault, they accused Sithole of working to overthrow the government and demanded his parents’ home address.

After six hours, the men drove Sithole to the Bulawayo Central Police Station and reportedly instructed officers to “find something to charge him with.” Sithole was subsequently charged with “disorderly conduct,” fined, and released after being coerced into signing an “admission of guilt.” Following the confrontation, Sithole suspended his studies and went into hiding due to safety concerns.

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 and prosecution of a student in apparent retaliation for the peaceful exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. State authorities must refrain from actions intended to restrict or punish the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly and take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of scholars, students, and staff. State authorities should also 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 victims, such actions undermine academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
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
https://www.newzimbabwe.com/youth-activist-abducted-after-opposing-constitutional-amendment-bill-during-public-hearing-dcp-says/