PRETORIA – Zimbabwean opposition leader Job Sikhala has alleged that the explosives discovered in his vehicle in Pretoria were planted as part of an attempt to assassinate him, a claim he insisted is linked to political tensions surrounding President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s proposed term extension.
Sikhala and his uncle, 78-year-old Alexander Thema, were arrested on 6 November after South African police searched their vehicle along Kgosi Mampuru Street in Pretoria following a tip-off about a suspicious car.
Authorities said they recovered 26 blasting cartridges and 15 capped fuse connectors.
Speaking to the media after being granted R10 000 bail by the Pretoria Magistrates Court last week, Sikhala said he later learned that the explosives “could have easily exploded at any time from under my seat,” describing the discovery as an attempted assassination.
“The first thing is that they wanted to assassinate me,” Sikhala claimed.
“Then secondly, after failing to assassinate me, they tipped the police for them to find us with explosives, knowing very well that criminality is a huge issue in South Africa.”
He said the alleged plot was intended to ensure he would be jailed, thereby removing him from political activity at a time when he has been vocal against efforts to prolong Mnangagwa’s stay in office beyond 2028.
“So they thought I was going to be arrested and got into prison and during the period of my incarceration they will be able to do what they want and not have any opposition as far as fighting against Mnangagwa’s intention of extending his term of office to 2030 is concerned,” the former Zengeza West legislator stated.
The matter has been postponed to 3 February 2026.
Sikhala has been in and out of South Africa in recent months seeking medical treatment, following a prolonged pretrial detention in Zimbabwe that lasted over 500 days before he was released without charge.
Following their arrest, Sikhala and Thema were detained at Pretoria Central Prison before securing bail. They both continue to deny any involvement in the possession of explosives.
