Staff ReporterThe Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has denied claims of disunity made by award-winning journalist Hopewell Chin’ono regarding the jailed legislator Job Sikhala.
On Twitter, Chin’ono had suggested that those close to Sikhala had betrayed him, leading to his continued detention. However, the CCC’s Deputy Spokesperson, Gift Ostallos Siziba, has stated that the party fully supports Sikhala and is committed to fighting for change in Zimbabwe.
“We are united together in the fight to win Zimbabwe for Change. Job is being failed by a captured judiciary,” said Siziba in response to Chin’ono’s claims.
Sikhala has been in jail since June 2022, allegedly for inciting violence during the funeral of a CCC activist. He has been held at Chikurubi Maximum Prison without trial. Some members of the CCC have expressed concern about the lack of progress in securing Sikhala’s release, but Siziba has dismissed any suggestion of disunity within the party.
“We have been in prison before, and we know that as long as Zanu PF exists, we are jail candidates,” said Siziba, referring to the ruling party, Zimbabwe African National Union – Patriotic Front.
The CCC is a coalition of opposition parties and civil society organizations formed in 2019. Its goal is to bring about political change in Zimbabwe and to end the ruling party’s decades-long grip on power.
The continued detention of Job Sikhala has been a point of contention within the opposition coalition, with some members calling for more to be done to secure his release. However, the CCC has maintained its support for Sikhala and its commitment to the fight for change in Zimbabwe.