The 54 year old widow of an MDC activist, murdered in 2000 by state security operatives, has spoken out about her search for his remains and her battle to survive the harsh economic climate. Patricia Nabanyama's husband Patrick was the MDC District Organising Secretary for Nketa, and also the party's election agent for the current Education Minister David Coltart.

On the 19th June 2000 a gang of 10 armed state operatives, in a Mazda truck with no registration plates, descended on their home, dragging Patrick outside and beating him all over his body in front of his 6 children. They claimed at first that they wanted to ask Nabanyama some questions and he should 'accompany' them to the local ZANU PF office. But when he refused to leave his house they assaulted him, bundled him into their car and drove off at high speed.

Speaking to the MDC Real Change Times newsletter Mrs. Nabanyama said; 'That was the last time we saw him. We promptly made a police report but to no avail, as it took the police two weeks to act after a public demonstration by MDC members who demanded an investigation into the abduction and disappearance of my husband," she said. All she wants now is to find her husband's remains 'so that we will afford a proper burial for him.'

Although police investigations led to the arrest of 7 men, who included Cain Mathema, Howard Ncube, Stanely Ncube, Julius Sibanda and the driver of the truck among others, 4 were acquitted by the Bulawayo High Court in May 2001. Because Nabanyama's body has never been found to this day the perpetrators simply claimed that although they abducted him they released him on the same day unharmed and could not be held responsible for his disappearance.

To add insult to injury the perpetrators even accused Mrs. Nabanyama of faking Patrick's death, claiming she visited him fortnightly in South Africa. She said her husband's killers were actually her neighbours and that 3 of them have since died while one has gone blind. "Maybe if they had cooperated with the family, we would have at least found the remains of my husband and painfully acknowledge he is dead," she said.

More sadly Mrs. Nabanyama is said to be struggling to make ends meet, since her husband was the sole bread winner. "I owe a lot in arrears and am struggling to pay fees for the two kids who are still in school. I have even failed to get a birth certificate for the last born who is now in Grade Six because the Registrar-General's office wants the father's death certificate and for the same reason I have failed to benefit from the employer's welfare fund," she said.