Online Reporter
Thupeyo Muleya-Beitbridge Bureau
POLITICAL activist Job Sikhala and leader of the National Democratic Working Group, along with his associate Alexander Thema, yesterday appeared before the Pretoria Magistrates Court on charges of illegal possession of explosives.
The two were remanded in custody and are set to return to court on November 13.
National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) Gauteng Division spokesperson Ms Limuka Mahanjana said the duo was formally charged during their brief appearance in court.
“A Zimbabwean politician, Job Sikhala (53), and his uncle Alexander Ferrowst Thema (78) appeared briefly at the Pretoria Magistrates Court. They are facing charges of possession of explosives,” said Ms Mahanjana.
The matter was postponed to Thursday for a formal bail application.
The two were remanded in custody.
The charges stem from an incident that occurred on November 6, when police stopped the pair while driving along Kgosi Mampuru Street.
During a search of their vehicle, a Ford Fiesta, authorities discovered 26 blasting cartridges and 15 connector cap fuses.
Sikhala and Thema were arrested early last Friday while travelling on the N14 highway towards Johannesburg, near the Kgosi Mampuru Correctional Centre. The intended use of the explosives remains unclear.
