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.
explosives
allegedly
found
in
Job
Sikhala’s
vehicle
by
South
African
police
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.