"How does it feel to be in prison for so long?
"When I entered prison I was barely 23 years old. Like many young men at that age I was optimistic about many things. I was looking forward to finding a good job and enjoying the excitements of that age. That was not to be for me. I went in a young man and came out old. I spent the most important part of my life in prison and the bitterest moments were those when I saw my colleagues slowly but surely die. We did engage in discussions to keep our spirits up but I think the most important factor that kept many going was the belief in the rightfulness of our cause. To demand equality cannot be a crime. Whether we were huddled together for warmth under the stern eyes of the prison officers, some armed with shot guns and others in the watch towers armed with submachine guns, at Khami, or walking round and round within a small area at Gwelo we knew that finally we would win. We fully realised that our struggle for equality - for human dignity and social justice would be long and costly but that did not damp our resolve to see our country free. There were hard times when we were locked up for months on end and only allowed out of the cells for a few minutes and when in the cells, were not allowed to talk to each other nor lie down.
"Any who whispered and had the misfortune to be seen through peep holes would be pulled out and be assaulted. When we complained to the senior officers about this we were told that we could not complain of assault as this was part of the punishment. This left us with no protection at all."
The writer served a 10-year prison sentence under the Law and Order (Maintenance) Act in Khami Maximum Security prison, having been arrested in October 1965, only a few weeks before UDI. On completion of his term he was immediately served with a detention order and transferred to Gwelo prison. He was finally released in May 1978, along with several hundred other detainees.
At the middle of March 1979, the names of over 1,600 people serving prison terms for political offences were known to IDAF.
