POLICE have released riveting details of how they allegedly
arrested larger-than-life MDC Alliance deputy national chairperson Job “Wiwa”
Sikhala last week, the Daily News reports.
Among other claims, law enforcement agents say the daring
and heavily-built Zengeza West legislator was hiding in a ceiling at the house
in Tynwald North — a western suburb of Harare — when they pounced on him.
However, Sikhala is disputing the narrative saying the
ceiling could not support a man of his size had he attempted to hide in it.
Addressing a Harare magistrate during Sikhala’s bail
hearing yesterday, detective constable Collin Makore from the CID Law and Order
claimed that the burly lawyer-cum-politician only came down from the ceiling
after police threatened to lob teargas at him.
This comes as Sikhala’s arrest has sent tongues wagging
within opposition ranks, where accusations have been flying around furiously as
to how he ended up being nabbed by authorities.
Makore told the court that Sikhala’s arrest was
coincidental, as police had besieged the house where he was hiding looking for
its owner — Anderson Mundazi — after receiving information that there were
petrol bombs and catapults there.
“We had a warrant to search the place after receiving
information that there were machetes, catapults and petrol bombs being
manufactured there.
“Our intention was not to arrest Sikhala, but we were
targeting Anderson,” he said.
Makore told the court that although they found nothing to
this effect, it was when they were about to leave the house that they noticed
some fresh footprints on the walls of the passage.
Makore said he looked up and noticed a removed panel on the
ceiling, whereupon he discovered that Sikhala was hiding inside.
“I noticed that the panel was removed and asked who was in
there. I threatened to throw tear smoke inside and he responded, stopping me.
“When he saw me, he was happy and we embraced each other.
He did not have a mask and I bought it for him, as well as water to drink.
“I even told him that he was not our mission, but I
informed him that he was on the police wanted list and that I was taking him to
the police station, and he complied,” Makore said.
However, Sikhala’s lawyer Eric Matinenga disputed that his
client’s arrest was coincidental, adding that he had been arrested by 15 armed
policemen.
Makore told the court that as a cop, he could not let
Sikhala go free — as he knew that he was on the police wanted list.
Asked if Sikhala could evade trial if he was granted bail,
especially having been previously bailed in more serious cases, Makore said he
could not predict the future.
“I have seen videos of him being fed in the bush and I
cannot say how he is going to react in this case. He was also hiding in the
ceiling,” he said.
The hearing will continue today with videos and audio clips
expected to be produced in court. This comes amid
accusations and counter-accusations that Sikhala was betrayed by his comrades
within the divided MDC Alliance last weekend, leading to his arrest.
Youth spokesperson Stephen “Sarkozy” Chuma and former Zanu
PF youth leader Jim Kunaka were among those who pointed fingers at each other
over the arrest.
Chuma — who is seen as a “disciple” of Sikhala — has denied
the accusations that he had sold out his mentor, instead pointing fingers at
Kunaka.
“Kunaka had a friend who is a member of the CID (Criminal
Investigations Department) who was coming to our hiding place regularly,
bringing him food. One day we left the house in the morning with other
comrades.
“When we left, I received a call from Kunaka telling me
that they had brought me a phone after I had lost mine, and that I needed to
rush back to the hiding place within 30 minutes or he would take it back to the
shop.
“Unfortunately, we had no car, but we then heard a few
moments later that Wiwa had been arrested,” Chuma told the Daily News earlier
this week.
“Jim was not there at the hiding place when the arrest was
made, yet he is not being implicated. The same person who is accusing me is the
one who used to bring his CID friends, about three times,” he added.
Chuma also told the Daily News that the majority of the 14
people who were placed on the police wanted list were staying together at the
Tynwald North house, where Sikhala was arrested.
“I am so much in pain because the person who was arrested
(Sikhala) is more like a brother and father to me. I have known Wiwa since
2014. I was linked to him by the late (MDC president Morgan) Tsvangirai. I keep
so many secrets with Sikhala.
“I literally live off Sikhala and I can even tell you that
all my rentals up to December were paid by Sikhala. I don’t know why I would
then bite the hand that feeds me,” Chuma said further.
On his part, Kunaka said he was convinced that Chuma had
snitched on Sikhala after the combative Zengeza West legislator allegedly
showed him messages that he got from some sources before he was arrested.
“Before we came to the Tynwald house, Sikhala told us that
one of us was selling out without mentioning names. But I pressured him to say
who it was.
“He pointed at Sarkozy (Chuma), who then said there were
people who wanted to divide us. Sikhala said nothing more, probably thinking
that he had changed.
“But then on Wednesday, he (Sikhala) came to our room and
told us that there was a security threat and that he had messages from his
sources that Sarkozy was still selling out,” Kunaka told the Daily News.
Kunaka — a former
leader of the notorious and now-defunct Chipangano terror group — also said he
had left the Tynwald North house on Thursday, after hearing that his wife was
unwell.
“I left after I consulted Sikhala and … I was supposed to
come back on Friday night. I then called Sarkozy to go and collect a phone that
I had taken from my shop and told him he would pay later because he had lost
his.
“I then got a message from some of the guys who were with
Sarkozy that Sikhala had been arrested,” he said further.
In addition, Kunaka claimed that their security could have
been compromised by other people they were staying with, since some went out of
the house to buy beer.
At the time of his arrest, Sikhala had been in hiding for
nearly six weeks after suspected State agents began trailing him in the run-up
to the foiled July 31 mass demonstrations.
Two weeks ago, the Daily News was told that some MDC
Alliance bigwigs were pushing to have Sikhala expelled from the coalition for
his radical political activities and dogged opposition to Zanu PF and its
government.
So bad was the situation said to have become for Sikhala,
that sources told the Daily News at the time that some of his comrades were
even hoping that authorities would manage to fish him out from his hideout.
Daily News
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