President Emmerson Mnangagwa is set to release another large number of prisoners.

662 inmates are on the roll to be released. This is part of the President’s plan to release Prisoners with sentences under 36 months who have served a quarter of their term. The list also includes terminally ill inmates.

Zimbabwe’s prisons currently hold about 20,000 inmates but the properties have a capacity of only 17,000.

Zimbabwe Prisons’ Principal Correctional Officer Garainashe Moyo told the state media a total of 662 prisoners had been released from Khami and Bulawayo prisons. He said out of the 814 names that have been submitted for pardon, a total of 662 have already been released from Khami and Bulawayo prisons since Monday. 166 prisoners were released from Bulawayo Prison, 263 from Khami Maximum, 115 from Khami Medium, 67 from Khami Remand Prison and 51 from Mlondolozi Mental and Female prison.

Moyo urged people to accept the former prisoners and also pleaded with the inmates to avoid being repeat offenders. Among the 37 inmates released from Hwange and Victoria Falls prisons are two Zambians William Tembo of Chongwe area and Gerald Mlambo of Maramba in Livingstone.