It is one year today since Change Radio reported the heart-breaking news of Hon Job Sikhala’s arrest and the devastating news of Moreblessing Ali whose dismembered body was discovered in a well on 11th June 2022 at a farm in Beatrice Zimbabwe. Sikhala represented Moreblessing and fought for the truth about her disappearance and murder.
Instead, of the government officials providing answers, they arrested Sikhala on trumped charges and denied him bail. He is a victim of political persecution before a crucial election this year and his imprisonment means he cannot run for political office.
This continued incarceration of Hon Job Sikhala is one of the signs of the political crisis and shrinking democratic space in Zimbabwe. He is being persecuted. There is no legal justification for him to be detained without trial for 365 days.
Hon Sikhala has been unwell whilst in prison and has not been able to access proper medical care. All this is meant to frustrate and intimidate and deter from defending citizens who are unable to speak for themselves as in the case of the late Moreblessing Ali and her family. Moreblessing remains unburied, there is no closure for her family until this happens.
The onslaught on the opposition will intensify as elections approach, not to mention the accompanying violence and bloodshed. It is clear the state intends to keep Sikhala in prison for an extended period.
Change Radio calls on the international community, SADC, members of the Commonwealth, United Nations, the African Union and neighbouring Presidents of South Africa and Zambia to intervene. Hon Sikhala must be released immediately.
