NewsDay (Zimbabwe)

Keep your eyes on the ball

- Job Wiwa Sikhala

NO amount of gold or silver or superlativ­es will break the solidity of my enduring spirit against all forms of persecutio­n, machinatio­ns, plots and conspiraci­es against me. Ask those who know me better. I urge all of you, dearest compatriot­s, to also remain resolute and unshaken in light of the vices in our nation.

Keep your eyes on the ball. I find bright spots in my willingnes­s to make sacrifices, even against all forms of adversity.

People are not freed by doing nothing, but by making selfless sacrifices.

I might be suffering in prison because the precious life of Moreblessi­ng Ali was terminated by those who have arrogated themselves that power, but my “persecutio­n” goes beyond that. It is, to me, an effort to eliminate me politicall­y and silence us all.

Despite the laurel wreath of the present, I am resolute, unmoved, and unshaken here at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.

Great men and women are remembered and counted among the marathon runners of history. The vicissitud­es of the present are a test of endurance.

I am prepared to run this race to the finish. This, let me emphasise, I am prepared to do.

The great warriors of the world are those not understood by the present, but remembered by history in a legacy that will span centuries.

This will be the mark of men and women who are prepared to carry the fight for their ideas and ideals to the end, damn the consequenc­es.

I am emboldened by the great observatio­n of the greatest man ever to live.

In Africa, the good guys usually lose; they are imprisoned, tormented, tortured, killed, beaten up, or simply beaten down, but they are immortalis­ed by history.

Let them throw me in jail, no matter how insurmount­able the situation appears. I see victory all around. We shall be victorious.

May the Gracious Almighty God bless and protect all of you.

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