Job Sikhala to launch a book

Zimbabwean opposition stalwart and human rights defender Job Sikhala is set to launch his much-anticipated autobiography titled Footprints in the Chains: The Life Story of Job Sikhala on 27 June 2025, an event that promises to highlight not just his own turbulent journey, but also the broader struggle for democratic freedoms in Zimbabwe.

The book launch will be held from 5pm to 7pm at Sapes Trust in Harare, hosted by renowned academic and publisher Professor Ibbo Mandaza. Former Botswana President Ian Khama, who spent part of his schooling years in Bulawayo before Zimbabwe's independence, has penned the foreword and will attend the event virtually as guest of honour.

Sikhala, nicknamed "Wiwa" after slain Nigerian environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, is widely known for his fearless opposition to government repression. Like his namesake, Sikhala has long spoken out against injustice, corruption, and political violence in Zimbabwe — a cause that has led to his arrest 67 times without conviction, according to his legal team.

"The book launch event will be held on 27 June 2025 during evening hours from 5pm to 8pm Zimbabwe time," Sikhala announced. "If you want to attend the historic event physically, kindly indicate to me so that a formal invitation can be sent to you by the event organisers."

A founding member of the original Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formed in 1999 under the late Morgan Tsvangirai, Sikhala has served as MP for St. Mary's and later Zengeza West under the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), where he was deputy national chairman. He also formed his own breakaway faction, MDC99, before returning to the mainstream opposition.

Now the chairperson of the National Democratic Working Group, a civic movement, Sikhala remains a vocal critic of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's administration.



Sikhala's memoir details his decades-long activism and the harrowing experience of being arrested in June 2022 for protesting the grisly murder of opposition activist Moreblessing Ali, whose mutilated body was found outside Harare. He was detained for an unprecedented 595 days in Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison — during which time he was subjected to solitary confinement, shackling in leg irons, and often denied access to his lawyers and family.

His health deteriorated behind bars, necessitating surgery. He was eventually convicted of inciting public violence and handed a suspended two-year sentence, before being released on 30 January 2024 after paying a fine for obstruction of justice.

The international community, including Amnesty International, condemned Sikhala's imprisonment as politically motivated and a gross violation of human rights. The organisation campaigned vigorously for his unconditional release and the dropping of all charges.

Sikhala's book is expected to serve as both a personal testimony and a political commentary on Zimbabwe's post-independence journey — a tale of perseverance, resistance, and the ongoing fight for justice.

The launch marks a significant moment in Zimbabwe's political history, offering rare insight into the life of a man who, despite systemic persecution, remains defiant in his call for a freer and more democratic nation.