Chronicle Editor
Midlands Bureau
GOVERNMENT has moved in to expedite the rehabilitation of infrastructure that was extensively damaged by rains accompanied by strong winds at Wha Wha Medium Prison complex in Gweru on Monday.
The destruction of the prison cells resulted in prison authorities moving about 100 prisoners after nine cells housing them had their roofs blown off by the strong winds including those of staff quarters and 20 families of prison officers were affected.
Wha Wha Prison has a holding capacity of 1 200 inmates but the number has ballooned to 1 460 resulting in congestion.
On Wednesday, Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Owen Ncube led a team of top Government officials from the province on a tour of the prison complex to assess the damage.
Speaking during the tour, Minister Ncube said Government has put plans in place to address the accommodation challenges at Wha Wha Prison.
“Government has since activated all its departments to come up with a co-ordinated approach is dealing with the accommodation crisis that has hit Wha Wha Prison resulting in overcrowding of inmates amid fears of a tuberculosis outbreak,” he said.
Minister Ncube said the rehabilitation of the prison complex will commence soon.
“My team has since hit the ground running to get things addressed at Wha Wha Prison. I will be reaching out to all the relevant offices so that we get the situation back to normal,” he said.
“It’s a matter of time and I can assure you that we will be providing more food and the necessary support here.”
Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Deputy Officer Commanding Midlands Province Assistant Commissioner Clemence Chigogo said although they have devised some temporary measures to avert the crisis, prison authorities are still facing an uphill task to deal with the crisis at hand.
“It is still a very tough call which is giving us sleepless nights. What is giving us a headache is the aspect of officers and their spouses who have since been forced to share accommodation,” he said.
“My team is trying to come up with some temporary arrangements, but we can’t do it alone and we are therefore asking for assistance from well-wishers. This is the second time we have experienced such a disaster.”
Asst Comm Chigogo said the storm affected houses of about 20 prison officers and their families in the camp.
Meanwhile, Gweru City Council has set up evacuation centres across the city to accommodate residents affected by flash floods following torrential heavy rains that pounded across the country.
Several gravel roads in Mkoba and Woodlands have become inaccessible to motorists while flooding in those areas has become a perennial problem. Gweru City Council workers have been busy repairing the damaged roads.
Gweru City Council spokesperson Ms Vimbai Chingwaramusee confirmed the development.
“As a local authority, we have set up evacuation centres in Mambo (Shumba Hall), Senga (Ingwe Hall), Mtapa (Mtapa Hall) and Woodlands (Nazarene Church of Christ), Mkoba 2 Hall, Mkoba 10 clubhouse and Muwunga Primary School,” she said.
“We would like to inform residents that we have evacuation centres set up for those who have been affected by floods or those who are likely to be affected.”
Ms Chingwaramusee also advised residents living in low-lying areas to be on high alert for floods.
“As a local authority, we are busy preparing these evacuation centres for residents who are at risk of being affected by floods. Every resident has a responsibility to be on high alert for floods so that we save lives and property,” she said.
Mr Mark Nkiwane from Woodlands suburb said they experienced flash floods on Sunday and Monday which damaged some of his household property.
In 2021 residents in most low-lying areas of Mkoba, Nashville, Athlone, Riverside and Ascot lost their valuables following heavy rains that caused flooding of their properties.
Over the years, residents have blamed the council for a poor drainage system which has seen recurrent flash floods in the city centre and residential area.
Online Reporter