Chronicle Editor
Bongani Ndlovu, Online Reporter
Over 4 000 inmates are set to be released from prison following President Mnangagwa’s Presidential Amnesty with the Zimbabwe Correctional and Prison Services (ZPCS) calling for relatives to accept the freed wholeheartedly.
According to a Statutory Instrument of an Extraordinary Government Gazette published last Friday by the Ministry of Justice, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs in terms of the Constitution, President Mnangagwa has granted amnesty to thousands of non-violent offenders.
The prisoners who were granted amnesty include terminally ill female prisoners and juveniles who are not serving specified offenses.
As such in a statement, ZPCS National Public Relations Officer Chief Superintendent Meya Khanyezi said there are 4 270 inmates earmarked for release. Of these 4 166 are male and 104 are female.
For Bulawayo Metropolitan Province there are 688 prisoners set to be released with 680 male and eight women; Matabeleland North Province has 231 being released of which one is female and the rest are male; Matabeleland South Province has 129 inmates of which two are female and the rest male.
Harare has the highest number of inmates to be released, 790, of which 20 are females and 770 are males, Midlands has 537 of which 527 are males and 10 are females.
Mashonaland East has 397 potential beneficiaries of which 358 are male and 39 are females; Mashonaland West has 340 in total with seven being female and the rest male and Mashonaland Central has 206 inmates set for release, with 204 being male and two females.
Masvingo province has 398 prisoners of which six are women and the rest are male and in the Midlands province, 537 are set for release comprising of 10 females and 527 males.
Chief Superintendent said following the meticulous process of verifying potential beneficiaries, ZPCS has embarked on an exercise of releasing inmates.
She said as ZPCS there is an appeal for society to forgive and embrace the inmates that have been given amnesty.
“We would like to appeal to the close family members, stakeholders, and the society at large to embrace and accept inmates who have been released on amnesty.
”Successful reintegration of inmates back into society is not the sole mandate of ZPCS alone but it requires combined efforts from all citizens of Zimbabwe.
”These inmates were being rehabilitated and have been serving for the offenses they committed against the state, therefore, those aggrieved are encouraged to forgive them for their successful reintegration into society,” said Chief Superintendent Khanyezi.
Online Reporter