Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) lawmakers Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole, who have been held in remand prison for more than four months, are fuming over Movement for Democratic Change leader Douglas Mwonzora’s foiled attempt to visit them at Chikurubi Maximum Prison.
In a tweet, Sikhala’s spokesperson, Freddy Masarirevu, said, “Through their lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa, Hon @JobSikhala1 & Sithole complained that Prisons was imposing visitors on them. Ms Mtetwa said one such visit was of Sen Mwonzora. She told the Court that he went there uninvited & was told by accused that they didn’t want to see him...”
Mwonzora claimed that he talked to Sikhala and Sithole at Chikurubi prison but did not give any details. Sithole and Sikhala said Mwonzora lied about the visit as they refused to see him.
Prison officials recently blocked CCC leader Nelson Chamisa from seeing Sikhala and Sithole at the dreaded prison.
Sikhala, Sithole and 14 others are facing charges of inciting violence and attempting to defeat the course of justice.
They allegedly committed the crimes soon after body parts of slain CCC activist, Moreblessing Ali, were found in a disused well in Nyatsime.
A man is currently awaiting trial over the killing of Ali, whose body is at Chitungwiza General Hospital mortuary. Relatives of the deceased say they won’t lay her to rest until those who killed her are jailed.
On Wednesday, High Court judge Justice Rogers Manyangadze presided over Sikhala and Sithole’s appeal against denial of bail by magistrate Manuwere on charges of obstructing/defeating course of justice.
According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, Manyangadze will hand down his ruling on Friday.
In a tweet, the ZLHR said, “… In opposing the release of Hon. Sikhala, the National Prosecuting Authority claimed that Hon. Sikhala is likely to jeorpadise/undermine objectives of the criminal justice system.”
Masarirevu added that Sikhala and Sithole will appear in court on the 15th of November, 2022, for trial commencement.
“The state, promised to furnish all state papers to the legal team by the 10th. The two MPs are very much in good spirit, physically fit & said they are ready.”
Across Zim, we are trying to ensure that people have access to justice & today in Gokwe, we are in court assisting Shepherd Chiwome, a villager, who is seeking to recover his 3 cows, which were unlawfully dispossessed from him by his former in-laws & Chief Nemangwe because he
customary law union. But to Chiwome’s surprise, his in-laws confiscated his cattle on the pretext that he owes his former father in-law lobola arrears & handed them over to Chief Nemangwe, who is keeping them at his kraal up to now & thereby depriving him of his property which he
desperately needs to utilise as draught power during the farming season.