adminAuxilia Katongomara Chronicle Reporter
THERE is no special treatment for inmates in the country’s prisons and recently incarcerated former Zanu-PF Member of Parliament, Munyaradzi Kereke, is no exception.
The former Bikita West legislator was sentenced to an effective 10 years in jail and began serving his sentence last week at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.
Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services Deputy Commissioner General Agrey Huggins Machingauta quashed speculation that high profile people were given preferential treatment including special cells.
There was once speculation that jailed rapist Martin Gumbura was getting special treatment in jail.
Dep Comm Gen Machingauta said it was just an assumption that there were some inmates who were treated in a special way.
He said this in an interview on the sidelines of a consultative workshop on the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service Draft Bill in Bulawayo on Thursday.
“There is nothing like that, in prisons all prisoners have a number hence they are equal. We treat them equally. Yes, Kereke is there, he is within the D class section where there more than 500 inmates with similar offences or long sentences of 10 years and above… that’s where he is kept. He is never given any other special treatment,” said Dep Comm Gen Machingauta.
“It’s just an assumption by people who think that we treat them differently”.
The top prison officer said even at Connemara prison, a more relaxed facility where inmates have better facilities and enjoy contact with the outside world, the majority of the inmates were ordinary people.
He said there were one or two high profile individuals at Connemara.
Dep Comm Gen Machingauta said the late former President Canaan Banana once served at Connemara prison and served his sentence there very well and didn’t have a problem.
The late President was incarcerated after being convicted of sodomy.
derick.khumalo