Tafadzwa Nyikadzino

The former legislator for Zengeza West Constituency, Job Sikhala was convicted yesterday for publishing falsehoods, a few days after he was released from prison after spending almost 2 years.

The judgement was handed to him by Harare Magistrate Feresi Chakanyuka who found him guilty of publishing falsehoods on his Facebook page that a police officer had killed a child with a baton stick. He was responding to a video that went viral showing a woman grabbing a police officer and accusing him of killing her child.

The magistrate said the State found sufficient proof that the Facebook page where Sikhala committed the offence belonged to him.  Chakanyuka said the State found out that the child in question was not assaulted and the child is still alive.

“lt is clear that the accused person is the one who published those statements on his platform. The child did not die, the child was not assaulted by the baton and the child is still alive,” Chakanyuka said.

Sikhala will wait for his sentencing on Monday. Former opposition Member of Parliament, Fadzayi Mahere was convicted for the same charge last year, and was fined US$500 for the offence.