JUSTICE, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has revealed that the Government is considering disposing some of the country’s prisons and farms like Harare Central Prison to land developers and use the proceeds to construct new prisons with better facilities.

“Admittedly, some of our prisons are very old. If you look at Harare Central Prison, when it was built it was on the outskirts of Harare but it is now almost in the centre.

“We are having negotiations. Perhaps if we can have land developers who want that prime land, we sell it and develop a better prison in Marondera, for example,” said Minister Ziyambi.

Ziyambi said this while appearing before a Senate thematic committee on human rights where he was briefing senators on how Government was dealing with refugees, and addressing their living conditions in prisons.

The committee, led by Senator Oliver Chidawu (ZANU-PF), had expressed concern over the living conditions of inmates, asking why refugees were being lumped together with serving prisoners.

“We do not have refugees in prison, but prohibited immigrants. They are fined and an order for deportation is given. Some of them stay for over two years. It is a challenge really,” said Minister Ziyambi.

Harare Central Prison is a medium-security prison for both men and women. It is operated by the Zimbabwe Prison Services, previously the Rhodesia Prison Service. It opened in 1910 during the days when the British South Africa Company ruled the then Rhodesia.

Many nationalists who were fighting colonial rule have passed through the grim walls of the gaol, as have scores of other activists after independence, who were incarcerated when the new rulers became uncomfortable with them.

The prison has also seen its share of dramatic jailbreaks. It was built as part of the state security matrix in the colonial age, situated just outside the city centre, to the east, where it shares fences with the Morris Depot police training grounds, the army’s KG6 cantonment area, the Presidential Guard compound and Police General Headquarters.

All these were strategically located as symbols of national security around State House and Zimbabwe House – both a stone’s throw away from a block of flats housing Central Intelligence Organisation employees and the Commissioner of Police.

Harare Central Prison is divided into three major sections—the remand holding cells, prison cells and a workshop. It accommodates both men and women, some together with their children.

By design, it caters for 1,470 inmates, but it currently holds over 1,700 prisoners and often houses 2,000.

Cells meant for one person are taking three inmates due to overpopulation while some of our ablution facilities are broken down.

In most cases prisoners who get 10 years and above serve their sentences at maximum prisons like Chikurubi and Khami. When they are left with seven years and below they are referred to Harare, Mutare and Whawha in Gweru, while those with 30 months and less are transferred to smaller prisons like Plumtree and Bindura.

Harare Central Prison boasts a two ward hospital that accommodates 13 beds. One ward acts as a Tuberculosis Unit while the other is Multi-Disease Ward.

On the ground floor are an Opportunistic Infection Clinic, Outpatient Department and a Modern Dental Unit furnished with state of the art equipment and manned by a dental therapist.

The workshop is where most of the rehabilitation of the inmates takes place. They learn various skills such as motor mechanics, welding, moulding, carpentry, television-radio repairs, panel beating and book binding so that they can seek employment when they re-join society.

Most of the equipment and machinery at the workshop are as old as the institution itself, and some have broken down. Government’s limited financial resources have limited any progress. There is also an education wing with 10 government teachers, catering for primary, secondary and tertiary level.

The huge kitchen uses electric-pots but most are malfunctioning. On paper they prepare three main meals per day but only a few of the electric pots are functioning and some food is cooked outside using firewood, which makes it very difficult.

Only a few of the electric pots are functioning and some food is cooked outside using firewood
On the issue of meat, Minister Ziyambi said they had gone a long way in addressing the challenge.

“I think we have an improvement in that regard. I have spoken to the Commissioner General (Paradzai Zimondi) and for the first time they have been giving them meat. It is something that we are progressively addressing, it was very bad,” said Minister Ziyambi.

“The Commissioner General said they had problems at some point because their cold room had broken down. So they could not keep the meat. They had resorted to keeping it at the butcheries where they bought the meat but were encountering when they went to the butcheries because either it would have been sold or they would be told to pay $5 more because the price has gone up. You know what is happening with price distortions. Butcheries can opt to give you back the $5 (you paid) because it is no longer attractive.”

The Prison has a chaplain who baptises inmates and teaches them the gospel. Many embrace religion and become God-fearing people who then shun their former evil doings.

Over the years, Harare Central Prison has been dogged by a high mortality rate, prevalent communicable diseases and a severe shortage of food, clothing and medical drugs.

— ZOOMZim