Missing ZANU PF Councillor, Gift Konjana, Says He Is Safe
Source: Missing ZANU PF Councillor, Gift Konjana, Says He Is Safe ⋆ Pindula News A Zimbabwean politician who was reported missing and feared dead shortly after winning a council by-election in Chegutu has confirmed that he is alive. Gift Konjana, who was the MDC Alliance parliamentary candidate for Chegutu West in the 2018 harmonised elections […]
A Zimbabwean politician who was reported missing and feared dead shortly after winning a council by-election in Chegutu has confirmed that he is alive.
Gift Konjana, who was the MDC Alliance parliamentary candidate for Chegutu West in the 2018 harmonised elections before later joining ZANU-PF, said in a statement that he is withdrawing from the current “toxic political environment.”
Konjana described going through dark times and making a “final escape,” announcing that he is stepping down as a ZANU-PF councillor and leaving politics altogether.
He was declared the winner of the Chegutu Ward 1 by-election on 21 February, contesting on a ZANU-PF ticket. Soon after, he went missing, prompting his family to file a missing person report at Pfupajena Police Station.
While his whereabouts have remained unknown, some reports speculated that he may have been abducted or killed due to ZANU-PF internal rivalries or his previous opposition ties.
On Thursday, 26 March, a statement attributed to Konjana confirmed that he is alive. Part of the statement reads:
“This statement is made to reassure particularly my family, friends, fellow Christians and my community and Zimbabwe that I, Gift Konjana, by the grace of God, am safe.
“There are no words sufficient to describe the weight of the ordeal I have recently walked through, nor the depth of the peace I feel being back among you.
“Today, I am writing this not just as a survivor, but as a living testimony to the power of collective prayer.
“When I was in darkness, isolated and facing the unknown, there were moments when my own strength failed me.
“However, I felt a strange, persistent covering and knew that I was not forgotten. I know that this was the result of your tireless intercession.
“Thank you for crying out on my behalf when I was silenced, weak and vulnerable. I am convinced that my final escape was not merely a stroke of luck or a coincidence of timing. It was the direct answer to a thousand whispers sent to Heaven.
“Your prayers created a hedge of protection around me, confused the path of those who sought me harm and ultimately paved the way for my safety.
“This attempt was after several other attempts on my life and limb. Thank you once again friends and fellow countryman for your prayers.
“I have made the decision to withdraw from the toxic political environment in Zimbabwe and will not be taking up the position of councillor in Chegutu.
“By this statement I wish to inform the relevant authorities that I will not be taking up any political post in my life.”
Konjana is well known for his high-profile legal battle against ZANU-PF’s Dexter Nduna over the Chegutu West parliamentary seat in the 2018 general election.
Konjana narrowly won the race, but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) declared Nduna the winner, and later claimed a “clerical error.”
Despite ZEC admitting the mistake, Konjana’s legal challenges to reclaim the seat were repeatedly dismissed by the courts on procedural and technical grounds, rather than on the merits of the case.
He later contested the same seat as an independent candidate in 2023 but lost, which eventually led to his decision to join ZANU-PF.
