Job Sikhala, an opposition politician, and former MP in Zimbabwe, has been released after spending 595 days on pre-trial remand. Sikhala and his co-accused, MP Godfrey Sithole, were sentenced to a two-year wholly suspended term for five years for inciting public violence. Sikhala’s lawyers intend to appeal the conviction at the High Court. Sikhala was arrested in June 2022 and charged with encouraging violence following the discovery of a dismembered body. The incident sparked violence in the area, and Sikhala, who was the family lawyer of the deceased, was accused of using social media to incite the violence. The trial magistrate found Sikhala and Sithole responsible for the violence based on the evidence presented. Sithole was granted bail after five months, while Sikhala’s bail applications were unsuccessful, leading to speculation of state persecution. Sikhala still faces charges of disorderly conduct, inciting violence, and publishing falsehoods.
