Prominent Zimbabwean opposition politician and lawyer Job Sikhala, 53, a well-known critic of president Emmerson Mnangagwa, will remain in police custody for three more days before applying for bail.
This follows his brief appearance at the Pretoria magistrate’s court on Monday, after he and his uncle, Alexander Ferrowst Thema, 78, were arrested on Friday for the alleged possession of explosives.
According to National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana, the two accused were stopped by police while driving along Kgosi Mampuru Street on Thursday.
“When police searched the car, they found 26 units of blasting cartridges and 15 units of connector cap fusers.”
In court, the matter was postponed to November 13 for a formal bail application. The two are remanded in custody.
When police searched the car, they found 26 units of blasting cartridges and 15 units of connector cap fusers.
— Lumka Mahanjana, NPA spokesperson
Following news of their arrest, renowned Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chinono took to X and said: “This should serve as a lesson to all Zimbabweans opposed to the 2030 agenda (Zanu-PF’s move to keep Mnangwaga in power until 2030) that this regime will stop at nothing to crush its perceived enemies, at both home and abroad, and will spend any amount of money to trap and silence them.
“If you are in the opposition, beware of three important things: strangers offering to help your cause, offers that seem too good to be true, and, if you are a man, be cautious of women. This regime has a well-documented history of using women to lure and entrap men involved in opposition politics. Luckily for Job, it was not a case of a honey trap. The full details will be revealed in court.”
Sowetan