The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) has sparked outrage by blocking a solidarity rally for jailed opposition politician Job Wiwa Sikhala. The rally, organised by the Job Sikhala Solidarity Council, was intended to put pressure on the government to release Sikhala, who has been in prison since June 2022 on charges of incitement to public violence. The police claimed that the rally did not meet the requirements of the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Maintenance_of_Peace_and_Order_Bill_(MOPA)/">Maintenance of Peace and Order Act (MOPA)</a> and therefore could not be sanctioned, <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200021202/police-block-sikhala-rally">NewsDay</a> reported citing a letter from the police. Read the letter in part:
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The notification to hold a procession rally in solidarity with Job Sikhala at Huruyadzo Community Hall on December 23 is prohibited. The notification does not meet the requirements of section 7 of the Mopa Act. Therefore, your event was not sanctioned.
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In response, the organisers of the rally accused the police of using Mopa as a pretext to stifle dissent and deny citizens their constitutional rights. They condemned the “systematic restriction of all activities done in the name of Job Sikhala by the Zimbabwean State”. They said:
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The Job Sikhala Solidarity Council notes with disgust the blocking of the December 23 solidarity rally by Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), it said.
The ZRP claims that the notification failed to meet the requirements of Mopa, an excuse that has been consistently used to deny citizens their freedom of association and assembly.
It is apparent that the name Job Sikhala attracts repression from the regime of Emmerson Mnangagwa. The State has caged Sikhala for more than 18 months, but they still shiver at the mere mention of Sikhala’s name.
The council will not be deterred by this setback. A series of solidarity activities are lined up to rally the millions of pro-democracy campaigners in Zimbabwe and beyond to collectively demand the release of Job Sikhala.
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This incident is seen as yet another example of the government’s crackdown on opposition voices and the suppression of freedom of assembly and association. It highlights the ongoing concerns about democracy and human rights in Zimbabwe. The blocking of the rally and Sikhala’s continued detention without trial raises questions about the fairness and impartiality of the judicial system.
<a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2022/06/14/just-in-moreblessing-ali-family-lawyer-job-sikhala-arrested/">Job Sikhala was arrested for allegedly inciting violence</a> following the gruesome murder of activist Moreblessing Ali. In May 2023, Ali, who was a member of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), the main opposition party in Zimbabwe, was brutally murdered by Pius Mukandi Jamba, and her mutilated body was found dumped in a well in Nyatsime. During Ali’s funeral wake, clashes erupted between ZANU PF and CCC supporters. Sikhala, who represented Ali’s family in seeking justice, was arrested and held in prison without trial for inciting the violence.
Meanwhile, Pius Jamba, the perpetrator of Ali’s murder, <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/12/20/moreblessing-alis-killer-pius-mukandi-sentenced-to-30-years-in-jail/">was sentenced to 30 years in prison</a> by Harare High Court Judge Esther Muremba. However, Sikhala remains in prison, having spent 555 days in pre-trial detention as of December 22, 2023, for his involvement in seeking justice for Moreblessing Ali.
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ZRP Blocks A Solidarity Rally For Jailed Job Sikhala

The leader of the Zimbabwe Transformative Party (ZTP), Parere Kunyenzura, has been convicted of contravening the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act in an incident that occurred in 2022.
According to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), Kunyenzura (52), a bishop of Mirirai Jehovha Apostolic Church, has been convicted of contravening the MOPO Act after he allegedly convened a gathering in 2022 and led an unsanctioned procession of his church members.
The group was allegedly protesting and singing a gospel song with the lyrics “Emmanuel tisunungureiwo tanzwa ne nhamo” loosely translated to “Emmanuel save us from bondage”. Added ZLHR:
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During the trial, which was presided over by Harare Magistrate Tafadzwa Miti, prosecutors alleged that Parere convened an illegal gathering on 9 July 2022 and led an unsanctioned procession of his church members as they marched along Robert Mugabe Way towards Simon Muzenda Street in central Harare, while protesting and singing gospels song with the lyrics “Emmanuel tisunungureiwo tanzwa ne nhamo” loosely translated to “Emmanuel save us from bondage”.
Prosecutors claimed that Parere led a procession of his church members without notifying the regulating authority, which is ZRP.
In his defence, Parere’s lawyer, Evans Moyo of [ZLHR], had asked Magistrate Miti to set his client free arguing that under MOPO Act, the nature of the gathering which he was accused of convening is exempted as an offence as it is a religious gathering.
In convicting Parere, Magistrate Miti ruled that the clergyman had breached the MOPO Act as the piece of legislation only exempts gatherings and not processions from being considered offences.
Magistrate Miti ruled that a procession such as the one allegedly led by Parere is not a gathering and stated that she believes that the procession by the congregants was not a bonafide religious gathering but a protest given the lyrics to the song “Emmanuel tisunungureiwo tanzwa ne nhamo” loosely translated to mean “Emmanuel save us from bondage”.
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Kunyenzura claimed God ordained him as the next President of Zimbabwe when he launched the party in May 2022.
He said neither President Emmerson Mnangagwa nor his biggest challenger, Nelson Chamisa, the leader of the opposition CCC, will win the 2023 presidential election.
Kunyezura warned state security agencies not to try to thwart what “God” has ordained.

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