A prominent Zimbabwean opposition politician and vocal government critic was arrested in Pretoria on Friday on charges of possessing explosives, according to family members and police reports.
Job Sikhala, a former lawmaker with the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party, was among two men detained by South African authorities after police discovered 26 blasting cartridges and detonating devices in their vehicle.
South African police confirmed the arrests but withheld the suspects’ identities pending their court appearance scheduled for Monday. The detainees are aged 53 and 78, according to a police spokeswoman.
Sikhala’s brother, Harry Sikhala, told AFP that family lawyers had confirmed the arrest. “He has been arrested, as far as I know,” he said, adding that his brother had been traveling with their uncle when police stopped their vehicle.
Harry Sikhala said the circumstances surrounding how the explosives came to be in the vehicle remained unclear.
The arrest comes less than a year after Sikhala’s release from a Zimbabwean prison in January 2024. He had served more than 18 months following a conviction for inciting public violence, spending nearly 600 days in pre-trial detention in what supporters characterized as a politically motivated case.
In an interview following his release, Sikhala expressed uncertainty about his political future. “Everything about me was eroded during the period of my incarceration,” he told AFP at the time.
The arrest occurs amid escalating political tensions in Zimbabwe, where the ruling Zanu-PF party announced last month its support for constitutional changes that would allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to extend his term beyond the current limit. Mnangagwa has held power since 2017.
Since succeeding longtime leader Robert Mugabe, Mnangagwa’s administration has faced criticism for the arrests of numerous civil rights activists and political opponents.
The case is expected to proceed when the suspects appear in a South African court on Monday.
