Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa says the party is doing everything within its powers to ensure the release of incarcerated legislators Job Sikhala and Godfrey Sithole together with 14 others.
Sikhala and Sithole have spent more than 100 days in remand prison on charges of inciting violence at the funeral of slain CCC activist Moreblessing Ali in Nyatsime area.
Speaking during the launch of the party’s electoral reforms blueprint in Harare, Chamisa said their arrest is an assault on democracy and the will of the people who voted them into office.
“We are meeting within a context of very sad developments in our country, 14 June 2022 our two members of Parliament, Honourable Job Sikhala and Honourable Sithole were arrested to this day it has been 105 days they are still incarcerated together with those who have been victimised, the Nyatsime 14. What is clear is that, this is an assault on democracy, an assault on the will of the people but also an undermining of the sovereign of the people of Zimbabwe because Honourable Sikhala and Sithole were elected by the people of Zimbabwe.
“They are not honourable by mistake or omission, you don’t treat honourable members like common criminals especially on the basis of just an allegation, which allegation is politically contrived and motivated. What is clear is that honourable Sikhala and Sithole did not commit any offence. Their own offence is to stand against repression, oppression, corruption, dictatorship, tyranny and bad governance that surely can’t be an offence because they were voted on the basis of that platform by the citizens of Zimbabwe,” said Chamisa.
He said they are taking Sikhala’s issue seriously and will approach various routes to ensure their release.
“It continues to be a sad moment, we as the citizens’ movement are taking this issue seriously, we have left no stone unturned, and we know what our opponents are expecting us to do. We don’t normally accept invitations from those who do not like us neither do we accept advice from those who stand at the opposite of the moral and political spectrum.
“We have done everything that within the confines of legality, constitutionality and also peace we are able to secure their release. I will not go into details of what we are doing within the country and across in the region and of course in the continent to reach out to the highest offices including the United Nations to make sure that the issue of this pretrial incarceration is dealt with.” he said.
