Online Reporter
Raymond Jaravaza, [email protected]
A PLACE once defined by finality and death at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison is being reborn as a platform for second chances where the voices of inmates now carry messages of hope, healing and human dignity.
In a symbolic shift that reflects Zimbabwe’s abolition of the death penalty, the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) has transformed part of the former execution site into a community radio station, Bridge FM, turning a space of despair into one of restoration.
The station made its debut outside Harare on Monday during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF), broadcasting live as part of a six-day Outside Broadcasting (OB) activation at the ZPCS stand.
The transformation follows the landmark decision to abolish capital punishment on December 31, 2024, after President Mnangagwa assented to the Death Penalty Abolition Bill in a move that has allowed authorities to reimagine the role of correctional facilities in society.
ZPCS national spokesperson Commissioner Meya Khanyezi said the conversion of the gallows into a communication hub reflects a deliberate shift from punishment to rehabilitation.
“Bridge FM is a flagship radio station of the ZPCS that is designed to connect lives, restore dignity and amplify voices from behind the prison walls. The radio station has a radius of 40 kilometres and is also an internet-based radio station, which means anyone around the world can listen in just by logging onto its website,” she said.
Comm Khanyezi said the radio station was established in a partnership with Corporate Chaplaincy Services and is licensed by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe.
“It operates under a Community of Interest licence serving both correctional communities and the public,” she said.
Comm Khanyezi said opportunities for private sector participation, content collaboration, sponsorship and community engagement are open.
“Inmates and correctional officers serve as presenters, sharing real stories of transformation, resilience and redemption. The platform provides practical skills development in media and communication while creating a direct link between correctional facilities and society. This is not just radio but rehabilitation on air,” she said.
Comm Khanyezi said Bridge FM will also air educational and awareness programmes, faith-based and moral guidance content, while fusing skills, entrepreneurship and empowerment discussions.
“Every broadcast will carry a clear message that change is possible, every voice matters and that lives can be rebuilt.
“The radio station will humanise inmates and reshape public perception about our prison system, strengthen rehabilitation and reintegration pathways and build trust between correctional institutions and the public,” she said.
“It will also develop critical skills in broadcasting and production while promoting unity, inclusion and shared national identity.”
