They suggested that Sikhala, who is the Citizens Coalition
for Change (CCC) interim vice-chairperson, should urgently be released on
health grounds.
The opposition legislator has clocked seven months in
remand prison after he was arrested last year in June on charges of inciting
public violence.
Early this year, Sikhala wrote a heart-wrenching letter from
Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison, highlighting that he had been suffering from
abdominal pain ever since his alleged poisoning.
Sikhala said the pain, exuding from his left side, had been
growing steadily over the weeks. He expressed fear that it could be colon
cancer.
Yesterday, Friends of Job Sikhala Trust spokesperson
Emmanuel Zellas Gumbo told NewsDay that Sikhala’s health was fast
deteriorating.
“His health is not in good state, he is suffering from
abdominal pains, and there is now suspicion that he could be suffering from
cancer of the colon. Not only has he lost weight in prison, but you can also
tell that he is emotionally drained,” Gumbo said.
He said Sikhala’s situation had become very dire as the
legislator was being denied access to his private doctors by prison
authorities.
“He has not had access to his personal doctor; therefore he
has not yet gotten proper medical attention, that’s why we are suspecting that
he could be suffering from very serious complications,” Gumbo said.
Since his incarceration in June last year, his CCC party
president Nelson Chamisa has been denied permission to visit him.
“It’s a very sad situation, not only does this affect us as
friends, but his personal health is cause for concern. His immediate family’s mental health is also
a major cause of concern. This man has seen it all, he has suffered a lot in
the hands of this regime, sadly for simply demanding justice for a fellow
citizen,” added Gumbo.
On January 26, Sikhala was remanded in absentia after the
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services indicated that he was not well.
Meanwhile, Sikhala’s lawyer Jeremiah Bhamu yesterday filed
two applications before Harare magistrate Tafadzwa Miti, which, if granted,
would make changes to the lawmaker’s case.
Bhamu wants Sikhala to get treatment from private doctors,
saying it is within his rights to do so as he has high blood pressure.
In the second application, Bhamu wants presiding magistrate
in Sikhala’s case, Miti recused over alleged bias.
“We are set on filing the second application at the Harare
High Court on February 8. The State must
make its response known by February 13,” Bhamu said. Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment