When an opposition figure shows more virtue than the ruling elite: Job Sikhala vs Joachim Chivayo

When criminals rule, the nation suffers.

We are repeatedly told how terrible our authentic opposition is, and they are relentlessly vilified by the ruling establishment across Zimbabwe.

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State-controlled media outlets and ruling party mouthpieces paint political opponents as reckless, lawless, and entirely lacking in foundational character. Yet when individual actions are tested under the cold, unyielding weight of real legal scrutiny, a completely different reality emerges that exposes the profound moral bankruptcy of those within the ruling circles.

True leadership and civic virtue are not measured by the empty propaganda broadcast from state podiums. But by how individuals respond when the full machinery of the law confronts them. Consider the conduct of veteran opposition figure Job Sikhala. Arrested in South Africa after police allegedly found explosives in his vehicle under heavy indications of a targeted political setup, he faced an immense test of character.

For a man who had already endured years of arbitrary imprisonment and state harassment back home, walking away from another hostile legal battle would have been understandable. Instead, he stayed. Sikhala showed true trustworthiness and steadfast moral character by remaining in South Africa and regularly appearing before the courts on his charges. He met the legal process head-on despite strong suspicions of a political setup, proving that true leadership honors justice even when the system is weaponized against them.

His refusal to run away speaks volumes about his personal integrity and his enduring respect for accountability. This stands in stark contrast to the ruling elite-linked Joachim Chivayo, the brother of the late controversial tenderpreneur Wicknell Chivayo. Despite facing serious R15 million gold smuggling charges after an arrest by South African authorities, Chivayo chose a path of evasion and cowardice. He breached his bail conditions, skipped his scheduled court appearances, and is now an active fugitive from justice sitting squarely on the official wanted list of law enforcement agencies.

While Sikhala stood his ground to face his accusers, Chivayo chose to flee back to the comfort of patronage networks, dodging the consequences of his actions. Yet this same fugitive individual is regularly seen moving freely in the company of the highest levels of power in Zimbabwe, including the president himself. Most recently, he was spotted sitting next to him at Wicknell’s funeral and mere days later taking a seat at the very same table at a ZANU-PF conference presidential ball. What does it say about a nation’s leadership when a fugitive running from international criminal charges is welcomed into the inner sanctum of power?

It reveals a deeply disturbing portrait of where our country has become. Where lawlessness is shielded by proximity to the throne, and where state protection is traded like currency among the elite. While authentic opposition figures face relentless vilification despite exhibiting integrity and standing trial, those connected to ruling circles are embraced even as they flee the law. Character is revealed not by proximity to the presidency, but by how one faces accountability when the tests of life arrive.

When the powerful embrace those who run from the law while punishing those who stand tall, they lay bare the utter emptiness of their moral claims. True dignity belongs to those who face the storm with unyielding courage, holding fast to their principles even when every incentive tells them to run away. Our society suffers deeply when justice is bent to shield the privileged while honest voices are targeted with state machinery. The true measure of human worth is found in our actions when adversity tests us. Not in the empty titles bestowed by those who rule through patronage.

***Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to contact him on +26715667700 or ***[email protected]

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