Remember Deketeke-Sunday Mail Correspondent
THE Government says the allegations levelled against the country’s Judiciary by opposition politician Job Sikhala, who was arrested in South Africa recently, are aimed at seeking attention to cultivate political sympathy and relevance.
Sikhala was arrested together with his uncle, Alexander Thema, after police discovered 26 blasting cartridges and 15 capped fuse connectors in his vehicle while driving in Pretoria.
He spent about a week behind bars, before being granted R10 000 bail last Thursday and will be back in court in February next year.
Responding to the media after being granted bail, Sikhala said: “My legal practitioners have asked (me) to not comment on anything (but) we always believed that South Africa is an independent judiciary.
“Here there are no feja feja things.”
Sikhala’s veiled attacks on the Zimbabwean Judiciary prompted Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere to set the record straight.
In an interview with ZBC News yesterday, Dr Muswere said, while matters before the South African courts remained sub judice, the Government would not be dragged into Sikhala’s performative narratives.
He emphasised that Zimbabwe’s Judiciary remained firmly independent, impartial and anchored in the rule of law. Dr Muswere said Sikhala, who has been on a public campaign trail, including fundraising for his new political outfit and book, has resorted to “melodrama” in a desperate bid to regain political traction after being sidelined by opposition colleagues.
“Zimbabwe’s Judiciary is independent, impartial and fair,” said Dr Muswere. “But what you should always be reminded is that Mr Jobless, sorry Mr Job Sikhala, is an attention-seeking acolyte for melodrama, for tomfoolery, cults and false prophecies.
“The man is a patient for violence and attention-seeking tactics.”
In recent months, Sikhala has claimed persecution and launched a series of public statements portraying himself as a victim of what he described as political machinations.
Dr Muswere said the narrative was not only misleading, but reflective of deeper personal motivations.
“As he fundraises for his book and his new political outfit, having been rejected by his political allies as a failed politician, we should always be reminded that at some point recently, he was imitating and mimicking one of Africa’s greatest sons, who was an icon,” he said.
Dr Muswere said Sikhala’s conduct and rhetoric were informed by obsessive attempts to build a heroic persona, even if it was done through distortion and fiction.
“But the warring parties, the manifestations in terms of both psychotic and non-psychotic disorders, which have resulted with Mr Job Sikhala’s belief in his false prophecies and dreams, show that all his narrow-minded dreams will not translate into reality,” he said.
He said no amount of dramatic political messaging will distort the factual and legal processes of the country, especially where claims of persecution are raised without evidence.
Dr Muswere reiterated that institutions of the State operate professionally and constitutionally, adding that the public must be wary of narratives designed to inflame emotions or secure sympathy for personal political gain.
“Zimbabwe’s institutions of governance stand firm, and misleading theatrics will not replace truth,” he said.
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