Political Reporter
The much-anticipated launch of “Footprints in the Chains: The Life Story of Job Sikhala”, penned by Pastor Munyaradzi Anguero Savanhu, is shaping up to be more than just a literary occasion.
Sources close to the planning of the event, slated for Friday, 27 June 2025 at SAPES Trust in Belgravia, say the launch will also mark the dramatic political comeback, of the embattled opposition figure.
A source privy to the event’s inner workings told this publication that former Botswana President Ian Khama Seretse Khama will attend as the Guest of Honour.
The source suggested that Khama's presence is not merely ceremonial but a deliberate strategy to bolster Sikhala’s political brand.
“Khama is deeply invested in Sikhala’s return to frontline politics. He believes Sikhala represents the kind of fearless, principled leadership Zimbabwe’s opposition has been lacking. The plan is to build his political image to a point where, by the next general elections, he will eclipse other key opposition figures like Nelson Chamisa and Professor Lovemore Madhuku," said the source.
The source also revealed that the book has been carefully crafted to position Sikhala as a central figure in the country’s political future.
“This is not just a biography; it’s a manifesto in narrative form. It portrays Sikhala as a brave and unbroken man — a modern-day political gladiator who has endured prison, persecution, and political isolation, yet remains unbowed. He is presented not only as courageous but also as strategically brilliant, someone who understands both the grassroots and the broader geopolitical game," added the source.
The source further added that Khama’s endorsement is expected to lend significant regional weight to Sikhala’s resurgence, especially at a time when opposition politics in Zimbabwe is fragmented and searching for fresh direction.
Moreover the source disclosed that several high-profile opposition figures, including former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa, Fadzayi Mahere, and Amos Chibaya, were deliberately left out of the guest list for the book launch.
According to the insider, Sikhala’s decision to sideline the trio reflects ongoing tensions and a strategic recalibration of alliances within the fractured opposition landscape.
“Chamisa, Mahere, and Chibaya were not invited — and that was not an oversight. Sikhala is charting a new course and aligning himself with those he believes are genuinely committed to principled, people-driven politics. There is a growing sentiment that the old opposition guard failed to decisively confront the regime when it mattered most," said the source.
Instead, the source confirmed, Sikhala extended invitations to a different set of opposition heavyweights, including Lynnette Karenyi Kore, Charlton Hwende, and other senior party figures viewed as more ideologically aligned with his vision.
With political temperatures rising, the launch of “Footprints in the Chains” may very well become a pivotal moment in Zimbabwe’s opposition politics, one that signals the re-entry of Job Sikhala as a key contender on the national stage.
