Zimbabwean politician Job Sikhala granted R10,000 bail by South African court

PRETORIA – Zimbabwean opposition politician and National Democratic Working Group (NDWG) leader Job Sikhala and his uncle, Alexander Thema have been granted R10,000 bail by a South African court following his arrest in Pretoria last week over allegations of possessing explosives.

Sikhala (53) and Thema (78), were arrested by the South African Police Service (SAPS) after officers reportedly discovered explosives in their vehicle during a routine search. Both men deny any knowledge of the materials.

NDWG spokesperson Isaya Ndawana this week described the arrest as “a planned thing,” alleging it was intended to link Sikhala to a series of recent bombings in Harare targeting venues associated with activists opposing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s proposed term extension beyond 2028.

“Before the onset of the press conference at SAPES Trust in Belgravia on 28 October, there was a bombing in the early hours of that day, and concurrently, a house in Highfields was also bombed.

“This was planned to make it appear that Honourable Job Sikhala was responsible,” Ndawana told Channel Africa.

He further claimed that the explosives found in Sikhala’s car were planted to reinforce the alleged narrative.

“We cannot rule out power play because Honourable Sikhala cannot be such a foolish man to carry a load of explosives knowingly that it’s illegal,” he said.

In a statement soon after his arrest, NDWG deputy spokesperson Silenkosi Moyo said Sikhala was a victim of “suspected foul play” and that the organisation’s legal team was actively working on his defence.

“Our legal team is actively engaged on-site, working diligently to ensure the best possible defence for Honourable Sikhala. We categorically maintain that the explosives found do not belong to him,” the statement read.

Sikhala, a long-time opposition leader and outspoken critic of Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu-PF party, has been arrested more than 66 times in his country. He has been, however, acquitted in all the cases.