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Nyore Madzianike–Senior Court Reporter 

The trial of MDC-Alliance vice chairman, Job Sikhala, on allegations of inciting public violence sometime last year, has been set for June 30 at the Harare Magistrates Court.

Prosecutor Mr Garudzo Ziyaduma yesterday told the court that the State was now ready to prosecute him. 

Sikhala, who was being represented by lawyers Mr Harrison Nkomo and Mr Jeremiah Bamu, had applied for a refusal for further remand arguing that the State was failing to complete investigations into his case and furnish him with a trial date. 

The lawyers argued that they had been appearing in court for the past eight months with the State failing to provide a trial date, which was depriving him time to commit to his personal and business affairs. 

They said the State had promised to try him sometime in November last year and it failed to stick to its undertaking. 

Sikhala made the demands after Mr Ziyaduma applied for a postponement of the matter to another day saying investigations were still pending. 

Mr Ziyaduma told the court that they were waiting for an audio recording which went for forensic testing. 

He said the audio was critical during trial.

He then gave June 30 as the trial date for Sikhala and regional magistrate Mr Stanford Mambanje agreed to the date, Sikhala must not cast doubt on the date as he had been demanding his day in court. 

Circumstances leading to Sikhala’s arrest are that between March 1, 2020 and August 21, 2020, he originated and posted videos on different social media platforms with intent to incite public violence. 

In the videos, Sikhala is alleged to have said: “People from the Zambezi to Limpopo and Forbes Border Post to Victoria Falls, 31 July 2020 should be your day. 

“This is the kind of war that we have. If we do not fight this war, nothing will come out until we die. These men have oppressed people for a long time.” 

The State also alleges that Sikhala used his social media accounts to incite Zimbabweans living in the United Kingdom, Australia and South Africa to attack Zimbabwean embassies.