Online Reporter
For 13 years, a Mutare mother lived with a heartbreak and unanswered questions, believing she might never see her daughter again.
That changed when the teenager surfaced in Mozambique and launched a social media plea to find her relatives.
Tariro Mahumba, who disappeared from a crèche in Sakubva’s OTS section in 2013 at the age of five, was recently traced to Mozambique, where she reportedly revealed that she was kidnapped from Zimbabwe and subjected to years of abuse.
The dramatic breakthrough came after the now-18-year-old’s appeal circulated on social media, triggering a frantic search for her relatives that ultimately led to her mother, Georgina Muchekadzose, of Fairview, Mutare.
For a woman who had spent more than a decade not knowing whether her child was alive or dead, the phone call changed everything.
“When I talked to her, I immediately knew she was my daughter. She also recognised me. She has not changed. Her face is still the same. She looks like me and her brothers. I am very happy. The fact that she remembered my name and her brother, Ngoni, after so many years is very touching,” an emotional Muchekadzose said.
What should have been a joyous reunion, however, has also reopened painful questions about what happened to Tariro and who was responsible for her disappearance.
Muchekadzose said Tariro vanished in 2013 while attending a crèche operated at a church in Sakubva’s OTS suburb, where the family rented a room.
On the day she went missing, Muchekadzose had travelled to Mutare’s city centre, where she earned a living through cooking and selling sadza.
“When I returned home, I was told that Tariro could not be found. We searched everywhere, but there was no trace of her,” she said.
The disappearance was immediately reported to the police, but investigators failed to get any leads.
Suspicion initially fell on Tariro’s father, Tonderai Muhamba, who had crossed into Mozambique on the same day the child disappeared.
“At that time, we had separated and I suspected he had taken her. He strongly denied it and nothing was ever proved,” said Muchekadzose.
As the years passed, hope gradually gave way to despair.
The family embarked on a desperate search, consulting traditional and spiritual healers and following countless leads, but none yielded results.
When Cyclone Idai devastated parts of Zimbabwe and Mozambique in 2019, Muchekadzose feared the worst.
“I began to think maybe my daughter had died. It was painful not knowing whether she was alive or dead,” she said.
That uncertainty ended on a Tuesday night when she received a call informing her that a young woman claiming to be her missing daughter had appeared on social media in Mozambique.
After making contact with people who had taken the teenager into their care, Muchekadzose learnt that Tariro had allegedly escaped from the house where she was being kept in captivity.
The family sheltering her claimed she had previously escaped when she was seven but was later found and returned by her alleged captors.
“They told me she had tried to escape before and that a social media appeal was made years ago, but I never saw it,” she said.
Muchekadzose said Tariro recounted years of hardship and abuse.
“She told me she was beaten almost every day and had run away twice. The second time, she fled because the people keeping her were threatening to kill her,” revealed Muchekadzose.
Despite finding her daughter, another challenge remains — bringing her home.
Muchekadzose said Mozambican authorities advised that formal processes could delay Tariro’s return and she may need to travel through Chipinge to collect her daughter in Espungabera.
For the struggling mother, the journey is currently beyond her means.
“If I had the money, I would leave today and bring her home myself,” she said.
Language has also become a barrier. After spending most of her life in Mozambique, Tariro now speaks mainly Portuguese and remembers only a little Shona.
Yet it was the fragments of memory she carried from childhood that ultimately helped in efforts to reunite her with her family.
“The people helping her found me because she remembered my name and her brother’s name. She only remembered part of our surname, but it was enough,” she said.
To support her claim, she produced Tariro’s birth records and family photographs taken shortly before the child disappeared.
Born on March 28, 2008, Tariro was just five years old when she vanished.
Today, 13 years later, her mother has only one wish.
“I still do not know who took her or why. All that matters right now is that my daughter is alive,” said Muchekadzose.
She added that she intends to report the latest developments to the Dangamvura Police Station as the authorities in Zimbabwe and Mozambique work towards reuniting the family. — Manicaland Bureau
***************
