Zimbabwean opposition leader Job Sikhala and his uncle Alexander Thema have been granted R10,000 bail each by the Pretoria Magistrates Court in South Africa. The two were arrested on November 6, 2025, after police allegedly found 26 blasting cartridges and 15 capped fuse connectors in their vehicle along Kgosi Mampuru Street in Pretoria .

Sikhala, 53, and Thema, 78, had been in custody since their 6 November arrest. The court has postponed the matter to February 3, 2026. Sikhala, a former St Mary’s MP and veteran opposition figure, has denied the allegations, claiming his detention is politically motivated .

Sikhala has a history of facing charges in Zimbabwe, having spent over 500 days in prison before being released last year on charges many considered politically motivated. Human rights lawyer Brighton Mutebuka praised the South African court’s decision, contrasting it with Sikhala’s previous detention in Zimbabwe .end //..