Far from cowing to threats and insults directed at this newspaper from some quarters, we are moved to reiterate our commitment to fearlessly perform our primary duty to inform the public.

It's a task that this newspaper and its predecessors have carried out without fear or favour and with utmost diligence and single-minded purposefulness in the face of repressive forces in the past seven decades.

In doing so, the editor and staff reaffirm their commitment to the tenet of freedom of speech enshrined in our constitution - even when abused by our detractors to impugn the dignity and integrity of this newspaper.

For months now, we have maintained our silence under extreme provocation from the supporters of "Mama" Jackey Maarohanye, who insult our editor and staff during her court appearances. Maarohanye and her cohorts have been charged with the assault and kidnap of our reporter, Vusi Ndlovu.

During such testing times, we are reminded and emboldened in our resolve by excerpts from Rudyard Kipling's classic poem If: If you can keep your head when all about you/ Are losing theirs and blaming it on you... If you can wait and not be tired by waiting/ Or being lied about, don't deal in lies/ Or being hated, don't give way to hating.

And so we shall keep our heads high amid the adversity.