Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been fingered as complicit in the stealing of prisoners’ meat by participating in concealing the crime.
When the prison riot happened in March, Mnangagwa falsely blamed the incident on incarcerated pastor Robert Gumbura.
But investigations by Prison Services boss Gen Paradzai Zimondi have revealed that when prisoners rioted, they were only protesting rampant theft of farm meat belonging to the prisoners in a development that has seen juniors Assi’ Commissioner Pambayi at Chikurubi Maximum and Chief Superintendent and Chomurenga Farm being grilled by Zimondi who has informed President Robert Mugabe there is evidence of theft which caused the prisoners to riot. The ZPS has numerous prisons in very province which have cattle, goats and pigs. According to Zimondi, Harare Prison farm alone, is able to feed Zimbabwe’s prisons countrywide on its own for a whole year. He said the farm’s produce can supply all the prisons countrywide, and yet prisoners who work those farms are living on empty stomachs ‘into the fifth day’.
The Zimondi report now features contrary to Mnangagwas. Responding to questions from legislators in March, Mnangagwa said the inmates were merely influenced by Gumbura. He said that most of them being dangerous, initially thought that prison warders and other security details were not armed and proceeded to climb ceilings in a bid to escape.
When reinforcements fired warning shots, he said, the inmates thought the guns had no bullets resulting in shots being directed at them to stop the escape.
“They conspired to break away from prison. A group of a hundred were involved in this conspiracy, surprisingly also, Gumbura was chairing that conspiracy. They went into the kitchen and caused damage, breaking pipes, attacked prison warders and eight of them were injured. While that was happening the core group was climbing into the ceiling trying to escape. When reinforcement came they thought they had no bullets and attacked the officers.
“They (security teams) then fired into the air but they (inmates) said there is nothing in the guns. They then fired straight at them, that was when they retreated and order was restored. We have now enhanced security.”
Harare West MP Ms Jessie Majome (MDC-T) asked why Mnangagwa’s version was different from spokesperson of the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services, Elizabeth Banda-Karinda’s, who was quoted in the media saying inmates died during an ensuing stampede.
“It is true that I read what you said. But I am giving you a report I got. I have no doubt that the report is authentic and a formal report. I believe that what I said represents what happened,” said Mnangagwa.
On relish, Mnangagwa said the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority had since given prison authorities cooking oil confiscated at border posts for violating entry requirements to feed the inmates.