Online Reporter
Fungai Lupande
Mashonaland Central Bureau
FREDA Rebecca Gold Mine has donated 3 000 orchard trees and Kenyan top-bar beehives to Bindura Prison Primary and Secondary schools, strengthening environmental conservation while supporting skills-based rehabilitation for inmates.
The donation was officially handed over during a colourful ceremony attended by mine management and employees, Forestry Commission officials, community leaders, school pupils and teachers, as well as inmates and officers from the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS).
Freda Rebecca Mine managing director, Mr Patrick Shayawabaya, said the initiative reflects the company’s sustained commitment to environmental stewardship and community development in Mashonaland Central.
“Corporate social responsibility is not a once-off event for us. These orchard trees and beehives are sustainable livelihood projects, and we urge beneficiaries to take good care of them so they continue to generate value for years to come,” he said.
He said the project aligns with the mine’s broader environmental management strategy, while also contributing to food security, income generation and rehabilitation.
Receiving the donation, the Officer Commanding ZPCS in Mashonaland Central Province Commissioner Gilbert Marange, applauded Freda Rebecca Mine for what he described as genuine corporate social responsibility.
“This noble gesture demonstrates Freda Rebecca Mine’s commitment to sustainable development, environmental protection and meaningful partnerships with government institutions,” he said.
He said ZPCS is transforming correctional facilities into productive centres of value addition and beneficiation, contributing to district, provincial and national gross domestic product (GDP).
He said partnerships with the private sector were critical in enhancing rehabilitation outcomes and equipping inmates with practical skills for life after release.
An inmate from Pednor Farm Prison (name withheld) said the donation would strengthen rehabilitation programmes.
“We are gaining practical skills such as tree grafting, budding, air-layering and beekeeping. These skills will help us reintegrate into society and earn a living after release,” he said.
The initiative highlights the growing role of the collaboration between the private sector and the Government in promoting effective rehabilitation, sustainable livelihoods and community development through correctional institutions.
