Arriving at the Harare Magistrates Court in the early hours of Wednesday, 14th June 2023, incarcerated Zengeza West lawmaker, Job Sikhala raised his voice to its highest volume, ensuring that his message reached the waiting microphones.
Aware of the few cameras fixed upon him, he sought to make his presence felt on the anniversary of his arrest, symbolizing a year spent in pretrial detention.
Despite being crammed into a small van, Sikhala strained his neck towards the cameras and defiantly declared, “they are continuing with their persecuting but I will continue to fight until justice is obtained.”
As the prison officers ushered him into the court cells, his voice was muted from the ears of journalists, yet Sikhala remained undeterred, continuously waving at the cameras.
No one could have foreseen that the day of his arrest would mark an entire year behind bars awaiting trial. With bail denied on multiple occasions, Sikhala’s family has lost faith in Zimbabwe’s judiciary system.
Freddy Masarirevu, the family’s lawyer, spoke candidly about their anguish one year after Sikhala’s arrest.
“It is a very sad day for us as a family, it is really worrisome that today marks exactly one year of him being in a pre trial detention. Masarirevu, “his wife is not gainfully employed and is finding it difficult to take care of all the children alone.
“Sikhala had some businesses which were closed as a result of him being absent. Our judiciary has let him down. He has tried to apply for bail for almost 14 times bit being denied that right,” said Masarirevu.
“It is evident that the police arrested him without conducting proper investigations, while the courts, regrettably, deny him bail. This continuous injustice has caused immense distress to Sikhala and his family,” he continued.
To mark his one year in pretrial detention, Sikhala penned a heartfelt letter to the nation vowing to fight on until justice is delivered.
“My Reassurance. Let me reassure you, I will stand with the people even if it costs my freedom. I will stand with the people even if it costs my professional and political career. I will stand with the people even if it costs my blood. No one should be mistaken to think otherwise. The dumb and punitive attempts by the authors of my misery to divide us through my persecution will not deliver their anticipated results. Chain me all you want. It won’t work. It will not work. I will neither tire nor slumber. I will never waive from speaking against injustice. I come from the people. I am one with the people. I will die with the people!,” reads part of the letter than has been shared widely.
In his letter, Sikhala revealed the grim reality of his captivity, describing how he is constantly shackled like a terrorist even during meetings with visitors.
“At one point the prison authorities failed to unlock the chains. They struggled in vain for over an hour. They had to call people from the armory who had to use a hammer and chisel, putting my leg on the hard cemented surface and started pounding on the leg irons until they broke. My left leg sustained serious injuries and got swollen for weeks and when it started healing, my skin was peeling off. This is the kind of torture I am going through on a daily basis, it’s been a full 365 out of 365 days now,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, mounting pressure persists on the Zimbabwean authorities to release Sikhala but unfortunately, all the fervent calls for justice seem to be falling on deaf ears as the country’s legal system openly persecutes the esteemed Zengeza West lawmaker.
