Detained Former MP Job Sikhala Says He Remains Determined To Regain His Freedom

Detained former Zengeza West Member of Parliament, Job Sikhala, has said he remains determined to regain his freedom. Sikhala who is a member of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the main opposition party in Zimbabwe, has been in pretrial detention since June 2022. He was arrested and jailed on charges of inciting violence which erupted during the funeral wake of slain CCC activist Moreblessing Ali. He was also charged with obstructing justice. 

Sikala’s lawyer Harrison Nkomo spoke to the media after the postponement of his Tuesday hearing at Harare Magistrates Court and said he hopes that all the charges against him will eventually collapse. He said:

 He has been resolute, he is abundantly clear in his mind that he has not committed an offence. You are aware that the High Court overturned one of the charges he was facing.

As matters stand he remains an unconvicted inmate at Chikurubi Maximum Prison. He is very hopeful that all the charges will fall apart.

Sikhala’s arrest and detention triggered criticism from the opposition and the international community. Some view Sikhala as a political prisoner punished for being confrontational against the Emmerson Mnangagwa regime. His detention prevented him from participating in Zimbabwe’s 2023 August General Elections, where he had intended to retain his seat.

In a New Year’s message, Sikhala said he accepts whatever fate awaits him for standing against tyranny and oppression in Zimbabwe. 

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