Sikhala’s arrest in South Africa part of “systematic campaign by the system,” says ally 

The recent arrest of former Zengeza Member of Parliament, Job Sikhala, in South Africa for possession of explosives is the latest event in a coordinated “campaign by the system” to target a perceived political threat, a senior ally has alleged.

Zenzo Nkomo, from the National Democratic Working Group (NDWG) led by Sikhala, claimed a sequence of events, including a disrupted book tour, a house bombing and the bombing of a conference venue, points to a systematic effort to silence the prominent opposition figure.

Nkomo’s comments were made during a solidarity speech at the “Red October” event, organised by the Zimbabwe Communist Party (ZCP) in Bulawayo over the weekend.

His comments come as 53-year-old Sikhala reportedly remains in custody at a Pretoria police station following his arrest last week after South African police allegedly found explosives in his vehicle.

“Police received a tip off that in Sikhala’s car they were carrying explosives. Some of you might have seen that on social media, it is all over,” Nkomo told the gathering.

“We don’t know what kind of explosives those are, whether industrial or military explosives. We don’t know how those explosives were in the car. All those are million dollar questions that we are asking ourselves.”

Nkomo urged the audience to view the arrest not as an isolated incident, but as the culmination of a deliberate pattern of intimidation and detailed a series of prior events that he believes form a clear sequence of targeting.

“But before this latest event, there is a sequence of events that have been developing. One of them is we start with the book launch,” Nkomo stated.

“Job produced his biography and we have been going to the country launching that book. In Masvingo, our launch was interrupted by agents of Zanu PF and it was cancelled.”

The campaign of disruption, Nkomo alleged, then extended beyond Zimbabwe’s borders.

“After that disruption, we went to Johannesburg, again we found a CIO agent or whether it was a security agent amongst us, who was also sent by the system. Our security managed to apprehend him,” he said.

The situation escalated dramatically on the same day as the Johannesburg incident.

“On that very same day in Harare, Job’s house in Harare was bombed,” Nkomo said.

He further connected Sikhala’s targeting to the broader political context, specifically the opposition to Zanu PF’s proposed 2030 presidential term extension.

Nkomo cited the petrol bombing of the Southern Africa Political Economy Series (SAPES) Trust in Harare on October 28, which was intended to host a press conference against the “2030 agenda.”

“Here in Bulawayo, we were prevented from having the press conference,” Nkomo added.

“You can see that there is a campaign by the system comrades, and this is an indictment to all of us as democratic and progressive forces in this country that how do we respond, tackle and organise ourselves to face this onslaught by the system on the democratic forces and forces of change in this country as we are under siege.”

Concluding his speech, Nkomo called for unity among opposition forces.

“We wish the communists the best, we are all looking for change, the communists are known for their commitment and fighting that’s what they are known for across the world. Let’s work together and at the end of day, we must bring change in our country and make it a better Zimbabwe for future generations.”

According to reports, friends of Sikhala believe he was the victim of a set-up, possibly involving Zimbabwean intelligence operatives.

It is reported that Sikhala received a call from individuals presenting themselves as members of former DRC President Joseph Kabila’s party, who offered financial support for his pro-democracy efforts.

Sikhala was arrested after leaving a meeting with these individuals.

Pictures circulating online show Sikhala handcuffed and sitting by the roadside next to an elderly man believed to have been in the vehicle, alongside an image of what appears to be explosives in a yellow plastic bag.