The government has listened to advice by Zengeza West MP Job Sikhala who says the prisons are overflooded.

Cabinet yesterday considered and approved the proposed General Amnesty, which was presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

Section 112 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe empowers the President after consultation with Cabinet, to exercise the power of mercy to grant pardon to any person concerned in or convicted of an offence against law.

The proposed general amnesty is targeted at all prisoners who have served at least one third of their sentences, save for those convicted of specified offences such as the following: murder, treason, rape or any sexual offence, car-jacking, robbery, stock theft, and public violence.

There shall be full remission of sentence to be granted to all prisoners who would have served life imprisonment for at least 15 years commutation.

The amnesty will de-congest the prison institution whose population currently stands at 20 407 against the prison’s holding capacity of 17 000.

The overpopulation already poses a health hazard, especially considering the Covid-19 pandemic and the recommended measures to curtail the spread of the disease. -state media/additional reporting