Sikhala fined for obstruction of justice

Yeukai Karengezeka

Court Correspondent

Harare regional magistrate Mrs Marehwanazvo Gofa yesterday convicted and fined CCC politician Job Sikhala US$600 for obstruction of justice after he posted on social media a video relating to the murder of Ms Moreblessing Ali and the violence that ensued in Nyatsime sometime last year.

Gofa ordered Sikhala to pay a fine the US$600 fine by May 5 or risk serving six months in prison.

Additionally, six months were wholly suspended on the condition that he does not commit a similar in the next five years.

However, he remains in custody as he has three pending cases at the court.

In passing the sentence, Gofa said the court considered that Sikhala was a family man who had school-going children that needed to be taken care of, had been in remand for over 11 months and had lost his source of livelihood as a legal practitioner.

Sikhala was represented by Harrison Nkomo and Jeremiah Bhamu.

In convicting Sikhala, Gofa said the court was impressed by the State expert witness whose evidence was largely corroborating that of other witnesses.

She said Olaf Koschke who testified in Sikhala’s defence was irrelevant as he only showed the court that a video can be edited but failed to prove that the video the state relied on was edited.

“He just rushed to tell the court that the video was edited without explaining how he reached out that conclusion. The court cannot rely on unexplained evidence.”

Sikhala’s utterances that Ali was killed by ZANU PF activists caused police to take new lead in investigations leaving what they were pursuing as the police were initially satisfied that Pius Jamba was the top suspect.

She also said Sikhala’s defence was dubious and unimpressive.

“Sikhala should blame himself for choosing to ignore other dates from 26 May to 14 June, the dates under which the offence was committed and only explained that he was away between 24 and 25 May ignoring all the other dates.

“The State had proved its case beyond any reasonable doubt. The accused has no defence at all and be and is hereby found guilty and convicted of the offence.”