Former CCC activist Job Sikhala has expressed support for Mike Chimombe, who slipped and fell from a prison truck at the Harare Magistrates Court yesterday. Chimombe reportedly slipped from the stairs and landed on the ground in what appeared to be a n@sty fall. He repotedly sustained minor !njuries to his head and hand but was assisted by other inmates and seemed fine once inside the court.
Job Sikhala, speaking on the incident, attributed the fall to the truck’s design. He shared his own experience, recalling that he once used the same truck during his arrest. Sikhala noted that he would lean against the truck’s side for support to avoid falling. He criticised the prison officers, stating that they do not assist inmates who fall, based on his two-year imprisonment experience.
“Guys kujere takagariswako 595 days pasina yandapara. Kunoda kushinga uko. 175 times I was brought to court by this same truck. Ndaibatira kuti ndisadonha. Ma prison officers ayo ukadonha havakubatsiri kukumutsa. Vanongokutarisa. Ndomaziva machinda ayo. Ndagara navo for almost two years,” he said.
Chimombe’s fall quickly gained attention on social media, with various users sharing their opinions. Some dismissed the incident as mere drama. “This is just drama. Wait until they are granted bail, and you will hear no more of their issue. We know this script very well,” commented one user.
Another added, “Just a show. Mupfumira went through this just to cool down temperatures. Today she is acquitted, and life goes on.”
Others criticised the government, suggesting it is the real criminal for enabling such situations. “The criminal is actually the government that enables such. These are just v!ctims of government criminality,” said one user. Another speculated, “Simple, he will be released from jail on medical conditions.”
Mike Chimombe and his business partner Moses Mpofu face charges of allegedly defrauding the government of over US$7 million meant for the Presidential Goat Pass-on Scheme. Their bail application has been deferred by Harare regional magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa.
