Today marks 282 days since opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) MP Job Sikhala was arrested and detained over what his party describes as trumped up charges.
Sikhala has spent over ten months of pre-trial incarceration at the notorious Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison and he believes that the State is building its case on lies.
The top opposition official is facing charges of inciting public violence at the funeral wake of murdered CCC activist Moreblessing Ali. He was arrested on 14 June together with fellow MP Godfrey Sithole and 14 residents of Nyatsime.
Others have since been released on bail. But Sikhala remains caged after unsuccessfully making over ten bail applications.
He is also facing obstruction of justice charges.
The Zengeza West legislator on Tuesday appeared before Harare magistrate Marewanazvo Gofa on charges of obstructing the course of justice.
He was being represented by his lawyer Harrison Nkomo. He told the court that there was no truth in the charges pressed against him by the state.
“This case has been clouded with lies from the police and State. I have been incarcerated for 10 months based on lies and falsehoods to keep me here,” Sikhala said.
“The State is just building its case on lies. One of the police witnesses Hardwick Maziti said they were going to bring eye witnesses and claimed that their case was based on eye witnesses only to revert later and say the police will use only the video.
“How can you charge a person based on a video seen online on YouTube and yet you have not tested its authenticity? I don’t know that video and I don’t know who recorded it.”
“When I arrived at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in the morning on the day of my arrest, there were no charges pressed against me,” Sikhala said.
“It was later on that day when I was charged with treason and then they brought the charge sheet which was later taken and destroyed, but later police officers said we are now charging you with obstructing the course of justice.”
Magistrate Gofa postponed the matter to Wednesday.
