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Walter Mswazie Masvingo Correspondent
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) in Masvingo has hailed church organisations for playing a pivotal role in the reformation and rehabilitation of prison inmates.

ZPCS officer commanding Masvingo Senior Assistant Commissioner Social Ndanga said the organisation had established rapport with local church organisations that frequent prisons to spread the word of God while others are assisting prisoners with hands-on skills.

“We are receiving a lot of support from a number of religious organisations like the Seventh Day Adventist Church. We also host organisations like Batanai HIV and Aids Services Organisation (BHASO), who help us on our agriculture programs and on HIV and Aids issues,” said Asst Comm Ndanga.

“The SDA provides religious teachings as well as enrolling our inmates for pastoral trainings. Some are now pastors with those who have completed their sentences in full pasturing work.”

He said BHASO provided them with furrow irrigation equipment and this went a long way in addressing food security issues as the scheme was assisting the organisation on its massive market gardening projects.

“Our jails are not torture chambers, as some critics think. They are there as correctional and rehabilitation arms within the prison services. Gone are the days when criminals were treated as societal rejects when they complete serving jail terms,” he said.

“We are now into massive market gardening, courtesy of BHASO who provided us with state of the art furrow irrigation equipment.

“The equipment is operational and we are producing agricultural products comprising cabbages and other fruit vegetables, for inmates’ consumption and for sale. They should be reintegrated back into the society so that they can also contribute to the socio-economic being of the society.”

He said the organisation’s rehabilitation; reintegration and reformation programmes were a full package as inmates were prepared for life after prison life.

“Apart from being taught to be responsible citizens, they are provided with an opportunity to learn up to university level. We have prison inmates who are now journeymen, courtesy of the vocational training centres,” he said.

He said in 2017, 200 inmates acquired skills in carpentry, bricklaying, motor mechanics and auto-electrical courses from Mushagashe Vocational Training Centre along, about 25 km along the Masvingo-Harare road.

He said Masvingo province had Masvingo Remand Prisons, Mutimurefu Prisons, Gutu Satellite Prison, Buffalo Range Prisons in Chiredzi, holding cell prisons in Chivi, Mwenezi and Zaka.

The province has an overwhelming population of about 3000 inmates in its all prisons.

More than 400 inmates were released in 2017 under President Mnangagwa’s amnesty but Asst Comm Ndanga said more than 40 percent were already back in prisons after committing crime.