(Last Updated on February 1, 2021 by GERALD NCUBE)
HARARE – High Court judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi today granted Z$25 000 bail to opposition legislator Job Sikhala.
Sikhala was arrested on the 9th of January and is facing allegations of communicating falsehoods following his comments on a widely circulated video which alleged that a police officer had fatally struck a baby with a baton stick.
He has been detained at Chikurubi Maximum Prison since then.
As part of the bail conditions, Justice Chitapi ordered Sikhala to reside at his given address, report at St Mary’s Police Station once every week on Fridays.
The Zengeza West member of parliament was also told not to interfere with witnesses or evidence related to the case.
Sikhala joins fellow MDC Alliance member Fadzayi Mahere and veteran journalist Hopewell Chin’ono who were also recently released on bail and are facing similar charges.
The trio’s arrest raised concern about the state of the judiciary system in the country after legal experts noted that the law used to charge them was nullified by the Constitutional Court in 2014.