Jail time created a new person in him

Leonard Ncube, Feature
SPENDING more than a decade in jail can be a life-changing experience for the worse or for the better.
For Mr Dumisani Nkomo (56) who served a combined 14 years for different crimes at different prisons, jail life created a new person in him.

Mr Nkomo served sentences at Khami Maximum and medium prisons, Box 1 prison, Whawha, Bindura and Central Prison in Harare.

Born in Matojeni, Matobo in Matabeleland South, Mr Nkomo is one person whose jail script could attempt to match that of the country’s nationalists who were incarcerated at many jails countrywide during the colonial period.
Mr Nkomo committed a series of armed robberies, car break-ins and pick-pocketing crimes.

He was part of a gang that terrorised people and committed different kinds of crimes, which resulted in him being in and out of jail since 1980.

He recalls how he would sometimes single handedly commit crimes taking advantage of his huge physique.
On two occasions, Mr Nkomo said, he was released on Presidential Amnesty but was rearrested within a fortnight after committing other crimes.

Some of the gang members evaded arrest and Mr Nkomo doesn’t know whether they’re still alive or not, as he turned his back on the crime life and decided to focus on the new him; a preacher, evangelist, counsellor and family man.

Mr Nkomo said the lack of parental guidance and shelter drove him onto the streets where he lived a life of crime.
He prays for a society that is filled with family love where parents provide for their children.

“I grew up without a father at my maternal grandmother’s place and when my mother left to remarry, things changed and I ended up on the streets.

“That affected me and I didn’t get an opportunity to really go to school, which led to my criminal behaviour at the time. The life of being on the streets resulted in me ending up in jail. I was even sentenced to death and only survived the guillotine after review of the case when they realised only one of us had given the final blow to the victim,” said Mr Nkomo.

“We were a group and assaulted a victim and one of our guys who trained in karate kicked him. We were all sentenced to death but after review of the case, only one remained with a death sentence while myself and others had the sentence commuted to 10 years, part of which was again suspended as I served a few years at Harare Central prison.”

Mr Nkomo said they would do anything that could give them money, including killing.
He said not having a home led to him committing more crimes.

“I served a total of 14 years until 1996 when I said goodbye to the crime life. Some of my accomplices were never caught until today and initially I was bitter but bygones are bygones. What I’ve realised is that many commit more crimes after release because they have nowhere to go and would rather go back to jail. At some point, I really longed to go back to prison because I had no place to go,” he said.

Mr Nkomo is grateful to the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) which helped him reintegrate into society. He is one of the founders of Jesus Behind Bars, an organisation that supports prisoners in Bulawayo and says he was inspired by the fact that he found Jesus while in prison.

He also works for Home Health Education Service, an SDA non-governmental organisation that focuses on the welfare of children so that they remain within societal expectations.

Mr Nkomo takes care of former prisoners who have no place to stay after being released from prison.
He implored authorities to alert beneficiaries of amnesties way before their release so that they undergo proper counselling to prepare them for life after jail and reduce chances of them committing more crimes.

Mr Nkomo said in 1996 when he was released after serving three years, he made a conviction to leave the crime life.
He is now a respectable role model in society, a preacher and evangelist and counsellor on HIV and social issues.
Mr Nkomo is married to Mandisa Mabhena, a PhD student.

He said she accepted the fact that he was an ex-convict and the couple has five children.

Government, through the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS)  strives to rehabilitate prisoners through various programmes so that they reform and have a chance to be reintegrated into society.
Inmates are taught various trades that they can rely on once released from jail and Mr Nkomo said he learnt farming and informal trading.

He said he worked as a domestic worker and security guard before dedicating his life to social work through various NGOs within the SDA church. Mr Nkomo encouraged ex-prisoners to be open minded when it comes to jobs adding that they should start from somewhere in order to rebuild their lives.

“I’m grateful because in prison I met chaplains who counselled us and I ended up accepting myself because I always viewed myself as abandoned by family. Most of those people in jail are bitter about their personal lives and they become violent as they grow,” said Mr Nkomo.

He said society should not stigmatise ex-prisoners but embrace them and give hope for a better, transformed life.
“I’m a preacher and evangelist through the counselling I got from prison, so there’s hope. Some people realise their mistakes when in jail and so society shouldn’t look at people in jail as outcasts. We should look at everyone as having potential to reform which is why there’s need for counselling.

“I believe what happened to me can happen to anyone hence we need support from the church, individuals and society. We can have a better society that doesn’t resort to violence. That way we may reduce the number of people who go to jail if we change our society and how we view people who commit crime. Jail doesn’t reform people, it’s us as people who reform each other,” said Mr Nkomo.

He said the courts and prisons should not be a place for punishing people but a place for reflection and reformation.
Before going to jail, Mr Nkomo said he had no interest in going to church and only started while in prison as a result of counselling sessions with prison officers, chaplains and rehabilitation programmes by the ZPCS.
He called on communities to support the prison chaplain’s office which he said is overwhelmed.

“We all make mistakes and a person can start a family and lead a normal life despite being an ex-prisoner. I believe people can change so instead of condemning criminals, let’s help them and also support Government and the ZPCS on such programmes. This is our role as society,” added Mr Nkomo.

He said while stigma will always exist in church, family and society, ex-prisoners should be able to stand their ground and feel supported by the larger society.
Mr Nkomo challenged men to take responsibility of their children as those that grow up without parental love usually end up bitter and commit crimes. – @ncubeleon