By Robert Tapfumaneyi

PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has ignored persistent requests for a meeting by the family of once fierce anti-Mugabe campaigner and pro-democracy activist Itai Dzamara who disappeared without trace March 2015 following his abduction by suspected State agents.

This was revealed by Dzamara’s younger brother, Patson who has been fronting a campaign for the safe return of the firebrand activist.

Dzamara was abducted near his Harare home after he had defiantly sustained a one-man campaign for the now former President Robert Mugabe to surrender his job for alleged failure to provide accountable leadership and ruining the economy.

When he became President on the back of a military assisted coup on Mugabe, Mnangagwa assured the international community while out in Switzerland that his government was doing all it could to find Dzamara.

However, Patson says the family has been trying meet Mnangagwa to hear the Zimbabwean leader’s honest views about the matter and chart a way forward but has been snubbed.

“Letters and requests to meet Mnangagwa have hit a brick wall,” Patson told NewZimbabwe.com Thursday.

“No letter has been responded to and no request to meet him has been accepted.

“We have tried to meet him soon after the November coup 2017 and his inauguration but to no avail.”

The younger Dzamara said the family last year sent letters again to Mnangagwa’s offices which were never given any attention.

“We hoped that the change of driving hands in Zanu PF would help us get closure somehow but unfortunately that has not been the case.

“We have consistently stated that the morbid act of Itai’s abduction was masterminded and executed by the military intelligence.

“The failure to resolve this matter by the so-called new dispensation led by ED only reveals that there is nothing new about it.

“We have approached ED and other relevant ministries and they have literally stone walled us out. It is sad and unfortunate.”

Former cabinet minister and now bitter enemy to Mnangagwa, Jonathan Moyo once said that the President knew exactly what happened to the activist as he was the Acting President on the day of the abduction.

The now exiled former legislator claimed, following his abduction, Dzamara was subjected to extreme torture by his “military intelligence department” captors.

This comes as opposition MPs this week renewed their demands for government action on Dzamara to allow the family closure on the matter.