Opposition politician Job Sikhala arrested AGAIN as War Veterans call for President Mnangagwa to STEP DOWN!

Mutare – Opposition politician Job Sikhala and over twenty members of his National Democratic Working Group (NDWG) were apprehended by police in Penhalonga, near Mutare, yesterday. The arrests occurred as the group planned a meeting to discuss whether to support war veterans in their increasingly vocal calls for President Emmerson Mnangagwa to step down.

Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrests, stating: “I can confirm that Job Sikhala and 21 others have been arrested in Mutare. More details will be released in due course.”

The arrests come at a politically charged time, as Zanu-PF, at its annual conference last year, resolved to pursue an extension of Mnangagwa’s term, which is officially set to end in 2028, by an additional two years. This campaign has faced strong opposition, particularly from war veterans led by Blessing Runesu Geza, a former Zanu-PF MP known for his outspoken criticism of the ruling party. Geza has been holding press conferences, demanding the 82-year-old president’s immediate resignation.

On Friday, Sikhala publicly praised Geza’s “bravery” on social media for speaking out against Zanu-PF’s alleged misrule. He hailed Geza’s courage as a beacon of hope for Zimbabweans fighting for democracy and human rights.

Geza, a Zanu-PF central committee member, has been particularly critical of the ruling party’s leadership, accusing them of personalising power and neglecting ordinary citizens struggling with poverty. He has also castigated President Mnangagwa for failing to curb rampant corruption, which he says is crippling the nation’s economy.

Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi recently stated at a Zanu-PF meeting that police would be instructed to arrest Geza on alleged murder charges, referencing a case in which the war veteran was previously acquitted by the courts.

Sikhala, who has himself been a target of the Zanu-PF regime, having spent 595 days in detention, commended Geza for his condemnation of the ruling party’s authoritarianism. Sikhala was released from Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison on January 30, 2024, after receiving a suspended two-year prison sentence on charges of publishing false statements prejudicial to the state and inciting violence. However, the High Court later overturned the conviction on July 22, 2024.

In an interview with The Standard yesterday morning, before his arrest, Sikhala emphasised the need for unity within the opposition against Zanu-PF’s alleged misrule.

“Issues being raised by the war veteran leader Blessed Geza are issues that have currency with the masses of our people and affect every Zimbabwean,” he stated. “Geza raises a very pertinent and important issue of using the judiciary to settle political scores as witnessed not only during my persecution where I spent two years in pre-trial incarceration but the continued persecution of several other opposition political actors like Jameson Timba, Namatai Kwekweza, Robson Chere and many others. These are issues we need to resolve as a nation.”

Sikhala also voiced his support for Geza’s strong opposition to Zanu-PF’s efforts to extend Mnangagwa’s term beyond 2028.

Zanu-PF’s plan to extend Mnangagwa’s term to 2030 has triggered widespread concern, with civil society organisations vowing to fiercely resist any attempts to subvert the constitution and undermine democratic principles.

“There is no other issue that has national consensus and has brought Zimbabweans together more than the attempt to amend the constitution to suit the ego of a single man,” Sikhala asserted.

“Zimbabweans are in complete consensus that this nonsense has to be thwarted. Geza is also raising the issue of the complete closure of the democratic space in the nation, which is a fact. Every sane Zimbabwean is in agreement with Geza that the political space needs to be opened for each and every Zimbabwean. So, he is correct that the national democratic revolution needs to be reset.”

Sikhala, the former opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) stalwart, who now leads the National Democratic Working Group (NDWG), is considering collaborating with the war veterans to challenge Zanu-PF.

He stated that the NDWG would meet today to discuss whether to stand in solidarity with the war veterans. “Collaboration should not be an individual glory-seeking escapade,” Sikhala cautioned. “That’s why Geza himself said the national grievances question can only be answered by every Zimbabwean. This is a national question, not a Sikhala question whether I will collaborate with the war veterans or not. What I know for a fact is that the majority of Zimbabweans will collaborate with them as the issues they are raising are genuine.”

Sikhala’s arrest underscores the heightened political tensions in Zimbabwe as the 2028 election year draws closer and the debate over Mnangagwa’s future intensifies.