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Desmond Nleya, Chronicle Reporter

ANJU farm, owned by the Zimbabwe Prisons Correctional Services (ZPCS) has partnered with the Lupane State University (LSU) to give farming expertise to inmates.

Speaking during the tour of the farm on Thursday, Officer Commanding Matabeleland North ZPCS, Senior Assistant Commissioner Moddie Nkomo said the initiative helps inmates acquire lifetime skills.

“This move is meant to help them to quickly re-integrate into the society with some professional skills. So apart from doing practicals at the farm, we have lecturers from LSU who come here to teach them farming so that they get professional knowledge and farming skills,”

The inmates are also awarded certificates on completion of their farming courses.

She added that, apart from being self-sustaining, the farm is also a hub of knowledge to various prison farm around the country who visit them to take notes on their operations.

Snr Ass Comm Nkomo said the farm was doing various projects which have even attracted the interest of Zambian and Botswana counterparts.

“We have various projects at the farm. Today we put a cage of 10 000 fingerlings in Lupane and 2000 here at the farm. Zambia has started the same programme after coming to learn about it. We also hosted our counterparts from Botswana some time ago on various projects,” she said.

The Officer in Charge of the farm, Superintendent Kuzivakwashe Mativenga, said inmates were being fed with what they produce at the farm and sometimes they slaughter cattle for them.

He added that some of the farm produce was used to generate cash through sales.

“Our inmates are well fed. They are sometimes given beef that we slaughter here. Last year alone, we managed to have sales of more than ZWL$500 000 which we used for various projects,” he said.

The farm is situated in Umguza District, Nyamandlovu in Matabeleland North.

It has 203 hectares with 130 hectares being arable land and produces maize, cabbages, vegetables, sunflowers, water lemons and various crops.

Cattle ranching is done on smaller scale due to limited grazing land.

@DesmondNdaz