Zimbabweâ: imminent release of the opponent Job Sikhala

Zimbabweâ: imminent release of the opponent Job Sikhala

ByThe Mwebantu Team

After 19 months behind bars, activist Zimbabwean Job Sikhala, a figurehead of the opposition, will be released following his conviction last week to two years in prison suspended for incitement to public violence. His lawyer announced the end of his detention.

Job Sikhala, deputy and eminent member of the citizens’ coalition for change in Zimbabwe, will find freedom after being found guilty of incentive to public violence. The conviction, accompanied by two years in suspended prison sentence, was linked to accusations that Sikhala and the deputy Godfrey Sithole have encouraged opposition members to avenge the tragic death of activist Moreblessing Ali.

The disappearance of Moreblessing Ali, followed by the discovery of his body mutilated in a well, had deeply shocked the country. Sikhala was also accused of having transported activists to the young woman’s funeral. After more than a year and a half of detention in a high security prison in Harare, his release, scheduled for this Wednesday.

Harrison Nkomo, Sikhala’s lawyer, stressed the importance of this release, declaring before the press at the exit of the Harare court: “He is now a free man. This is the only case that maintained him behind bars, so he will get out of prison ”. The news of the Liberation was enthusiastically greeted by dozens of supporters who expressed their joy in court.

Job Sikhala, arrested more than sixty times in the past two decades, is a central figure in the Zimbabwean opposition.

The Mwebantu Team
The Mwebantu Team

Led by Nia, the insightful editor-in-chief, Kwame, our technology expert, and Amara, the bold field reporter, the Mwebantu team weaves the vibrant narrative of Africa every day, forging a narrative bridge between the continent and the world. Their shared passion illuminates the mission of Mwebantu News, making African voices resonate on the global stage.