MDC Alliance vice chairperson and Zengeza west legislator Job Sikhala will remain in custody after High Court Judge Justice Tawanda Chitapi reserved ruling on his bail appeal to Monday the 1st of February.
Sikhala is being charged with communicating falsehoods prejudicial to the state after he allegedly tweeted that a police officer had killed a child while attempting to hit a commuter omnibus which was loading at an undesignated point along Second Street in Harare.
The combative politician has been complaining of ill treatment by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) whom he accused of denying his lawyers access to him.
Sikhala who has been in custody since 9 January also complained that the prison officers brought into the courtroom while shackled in leg irons.
Earlier today, Justice Davison Foroma granted ZWL$20 000 bail to journalist Hopewell Chin’ono who is also facing a similar charge to Sikhala.
Sikhala was represented by Jeremiah Bhamu, Paidamoyo Saurombe and Harrison Nkomo from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
Meanwhile, Justice Chitapi postponed the hearing of former Zanu PF youth leader Jim Kunaka’s bail appeal to Thursday for further arguments.
This followed the state representative Richard Chikosha opposed the release of Kunaka on bail.
Kunaka’s lawyer Munyaradzi Bwanya of ZLHR argued that his client should be released on bail.
