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President Mugabe

Mashudu Netsianda and Whinsley Masara
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe has pardoned more than 2,000 prisoners and as of yesterday 800 had already been set free from the country’s 46 prisons.

The prisoners were released in line with the President’s Clemency Order No. 1 of 2016 which was gazetted on May 23.

Under the Clemency Order, the President pardoned female prisoners who were yet to conclude their sentences, but those jailed for life did not benefit.

A full remission of the remaining period of imprisonment was also granted to all juvenile prisoners under the age of 18 years, irrespective of the offences they committed.

Prisoners who were sentenced to imprisonment for a period of 36 months and below and who would have served a quarter of their sentences by the date the Order was gazetted also benefited.

The president also pardoned all inmates sentenced to life imprisonment on or before December, 1995.

Prisoners excluded from the amnesty are habitual criminals serving an extended term of imprisonment, persons under death sentence or those serving a sentence imposed by a court martial and those who escaped from lawful custody and were still at large by the date of gazetting of the Clemency Order.

Those convicted of committing specified offences such murder, treason, carjacking, armed robbery, rape or sexual offences were not pardoned.

Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) national spokesperson Priscillah Mthembo urged the nation to embrace the released prisoners, saying they had reformed after their incarceration.

“Our appeal to society is that we should accept the released inmates and give them another chance so that they don’t re-offend. Most of them benefited from our rehabilitative programmes and we believe they’ve changed and they need assistance through funding and employment so that they make a fresh start,” said Mthembo.

She said the process is ongoing until the last person has been released.

In Bulawayo Metropolitan province 373 prisoners from Khami Maximum, Mlondolozi, Khami Medium, Bulawayo Prison and Khami Remand prisons had by yesterday been released. The highest number of inmates who benefited were those released from Bulawayo Prison where 144 inmates walked home. Police were present at most prisons to ensure that they arrest those with pending matters upon release.

In Matabeleland South, a total of 151 inmates were set free with the highest number of 69 recorded in Gwanda.

There were 19,900 prisoners in Zimbabwe’s 46 prisons as at May 23 this year, which is above the holding capacity of 17,000.