Job Sikhala, a prominent opposition politician, has been found guilty of obstructing the course of justice and has been sentenced to a six-month jail term.

However, the sentence has been wholly suspended on the condition that he pays a fine of US$600.

Sikhala’s conviction comes almost a year after his arrest and more than 300 days spent in detention, awaiting trial.

He was charged with obstructing justice after he publicly demanded justice for the murder of Blessing Ali, an opposition activist whose mutilated body was found in a well.

Prosecutors accused him of diverting attention from other suspects by blaming the ruling ZANU-PF party for Ali’s death.

Job Sikhala Sentenced To Six Months In Jail For Obstructing Justice, Faces Political Ban

During the trial, Sikhala’s legal team called upon a video expert who testified that the videos uploaded on the internet could have been edited before being published.

Initially, Sikhala had applied for discharge at the close of the state’s case, stating that there was no prima facie evidence to support the charges against him.

The State had opposed the application saying the testimonies from its three witnesses corroborated evidence proving that Sikhala had a case to answer.

This is only one of the many charges that Sikhala is facing. He is also accused of inciting public violence and spreading false information in connection with the same video.

Verdicts in those cases are still pending. Despite applying for bail fifteen times, he has been unsuccessful in securing his release.