Zimbabwean opposition activist Bishop Tapfumaneyi Masaya was found dead after being kidnapped on Saturday during a political campaign on the outskirts of Harare.

The Citizens Coalition for Change party said Masaya was kidnapped while campaigning for the CCC candidate ahead of the December 9 by-elections, reports Bloomberg.

The perpetrators allegedly tortured him before dumping his body in a car somewhere in the capital, according to CCC spokesman Promise Mkwananzi.

Police in Zimbabwe said on Monday that they would carry out an investigation into the cause of death of a citizen whose body was found where the activist's body was. The police claimed that the identity of the citizen was still unknown.

Masaya's abduction and death come just two weeks after CCC legislator Takudzwa Ngadziore was abducted, tortured and abandoned some 50 km north of Harare by armed men. He survived the attack.

Zimbabwe has a long history of enforced disappearances and killings of political activists dating back to the 1980s. The opposition has frequently accused the ruling Zanu-PF party of involvement in the torture and killing of its activists.

Zimbabwe's opposition parties have been calling for new elections since President Emmerson Mnangagwa secured a second term in August. CCC leader Nelson Chamisa described the vote as a "gigantic fraud". Zanu-PF has denied the allegations of fraud.