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THE Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services need to be commended for their initiatives to boost the morale of their inmates and make them understand that society has not abandoned them.
One of the ZPCS initiatives is to take local music and football stars to various prisons where they spend time interacting with the inmates.
On Tuesday, they took a number of our top musicians and football legend Justice Majabvi to Chikurubi Maximum Prison to interact with the prisoners.
The group of musicians was made up of Mathias Mhere, Jah Prayzah, Simon Mutambi, Mbeu, Jah Signal, Empress Masina, Pondo and Vafambi Pakutenda.
The tour was ahead of a show slated for November 16 when the ZPCS celebrates Prison Day.
More than 3000 inmates at Chikurubi Maximum Prison got a chance to mingle with the stars.
During that tour of duty, dancehall artist, Seh Calaz, met and had a chat with his old neighbour, who is serving time at Chikurubi Maximum Prison for killing his friend.
Seh Calaz met Paul Mwesambuzi, 41, who used to be his neighbour when the artist was staying in his home neighbourhood of Mbare.
He even belted two songs ‘Mabhanditi’ and ‘Kwatinobva Kwakasiyana’ for the D-Class inmates.
Paul said he regretted his decision to kill his friend and urged others not to be misled by their emotion as was the case with him.
Jaison Muvhevhi, the killer who is part of the Psychiatric Unit at Chikurubi, also got the opportunity to share some lighter moments with the musicians.
The musicians were given the chance to address the inmates and a number of them preached the message of hope.
One of the music promoters and religious ministers, Preston Maporisa shared a sermon and prayed for the inmates.
Maporisa is popular with long-serving inmates because of his previous donations and mingled with the inmates as he celebrated his 48th birthday.
That he chose to celebrate his birthday at Chikurubi Maximum Prison with inmates was important as it sent a very powerful message that the place which they now call home isn’t just about doom and gloom.
Maporisa showed the inmates that it’s a place where celebrations can also be held because it is inhabited by people.
He was trying to show that those who are resident there are also human beings and while they were found guilty, even for worse things like murder, they were still people who needed company.
They are people who need rehabilitation.
That an A-List musician like Jah Prayzah dedicated his time on Tuesday to spend time with the prisoners at Chikurubi shows that this was not just a public relations exercise.
Once the prisoners see that even someone like Jah Prayzah cares for them, it sends a message to them that they have not been abandoned by our society.
Prisoners are not sent to Chikurubi to die but to be rehabilitated.
Such visits by celebrities are powerful to help them in their rehabilitation.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter