Online Reporter
Givemore Muzariri
POPULAR Bulawayo musician Nicholas Chase Skuza has joined forces with other former inmates from various prisons to establish an association dedicated to the well-being of both serving and ex-offenders.
The Desistant Champions Bulawayo Chapter is a concept developed by ex-convicts who found that communities still struggled to accept them due to their criminal backgrounds, despite having already served their sentences.
In an interview, Skuza said that after his conviction for fraud, he was sent to Bulawayo Prison, where he served a six-month jail term. While incarcerated, the musician had the opportunity to engage with a diverse group of individuals who were keen to understand him better, both as a musician and a citizen.
“My conviction back in 2015 on fraud charges proved to be a real eye-opener in my life as it gave me the chance to stay at Bulawayo Prison, better known as Grey Prison. During my time there, I had the opportunity to interact with people from various walks of life, and some even shared the reasons that had led them to prison.
“The information we shared as inmates proved incredibly useful. We challenged each other to participate in different rehabilitation programmes so that we would have a fall-back plan soon after completing our sentences,” he said.
The musician highlighted that Bulawayo Prison offered a range of rehabilitation programmes, including seedling cultivation, hairdressing, motor mechanics, arts, and tailoring, to name but a few. These programmes were introduced by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) management as a preventative measure against unemployment among ex-offenders due to their criminal records.
“The discussions we had as inmates showed me that once someone has been arrested and convicted, opportunities for employment are often taken away by their criminal record. This issue united us as inmates to the extent that we even exchanged contact details. During our interactions soon after completing our jail terms, we then decided to form an association to represent the rights of ex-convicts.
“The Desistant Champions Bulawayo Chapter is a concept we hope will expand to all 10 provinces. At present, we have two functional chapters in Bulawayo and Harare,” he said.
Skuza elaborated that as ex-convicts, they had discovered they had lost most of their rights and dignity due to the criminal record policy, which discourages their employment in both private and public companies. He argued that such discriminatory policies actually fuel re-offending among ex-convicts, as they lack sources of income to provide for their families.
“The association we’ve just started will soon be launched across all 10 provinces of Zimbabwe, with the aim of helping both ex-convicts and current inmates integrate more easily into our communities, as people outside are often unwilling to accept us for who we are.
“We intend to engage with the relevant authorities to amend some of the policies we have as a nation, as we believe everyone should have a fair share when it comes to opportunities. Our research indicates that many ex-convicts leave prison equipped with various skills, but the main challenge is their lack of start-up kits or land to begin projects that could benefit the wider community,” he noted.
Skuza said that the association is reaching out to various organisations for partnerships to provide ex-convicts with the necessary tools to kick-start their projects upon release. He believes this could help create employment opportunities, aligning with the “leaving no one and no place behind” mantra of the current Government.
“Many people out there underestimate our value as ex-convicts, but this time we are stepping forward to prove to the world that we are capable of building our nation, despite having been convicted and incarcerated.
“We are actively working on the best ways for ex-convicts to venture into different projects, and I believe this is an excellent opportunity for the nation to come on board and work with us towards developing our country.
“Personally, I’ve taken farming seriously, albeit on a small scale. I’m currently running several projects, including goat and pig rearing, and maize production. I’m managing this project in Plumtree, under Chief Ntoli,” he revealed.
The musician turned farmer stated that Zimbabweans should anticipate the “ex-convict brand” in the production sector, as they are venturing into the manufacturing of products like soap, dishwash, and animal feed as a countermeasure against reoffending. Some of these products will be sourced from various prisons nationwide, aiming to instil confidence in inmates and ex-convicts that there is a better life after imprisonment.
“I’d like to challenge the government of Zimbabwe to give us the support we need to establish our own companies, as we have the potential to build our country’s economy using the skills we acquired whilst in prison. Countries like China are doing very well with the support of inmates and ex-convicts, so let’s emulate such countries and see how it can assist in building our economy.”
John Marufu, the chairperson of the Desistant Champions Bulawayo Chapter and a businessman, confirmed that his team is already on the ground, working on the necessary logistics to bring their brands to the market.
“The challenges we’ve been encountering as ex-convicts are precisely why we decided to come up with this noble idea, and we hope this initiative will benefit the community in the long run.
“As we speak, my team is working on the logistics so that very soon you’ll be able to purchase some of our products on the market, thereby creating employment and providing more affordable commodities, which is healthy for our economy.”
“With my experience in the retail business, I realised that as ex-convicts, we have an opportunity to build our own brands. That’s why we’re already working on this, and hopefully, the community will now understand what rehabilitation truly entails,” Marufu said.
derick.khumalo