Online Reporter
Patrick Chitumba [email protected]
KWEKWE Prison is operating beyond its holding capacity and is facing a range of challenges, including inadequate accommodation for officers and shortages of medical supplies.
The situation was outlined by the officer-in-charge of Kwekwe Prison, Superintendent Elliot Maburutse, during the handover of groceries and construction materials donated by Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube.
Minister Ncube handed over mealie-meal, rice, sugar, cooking oil, soap, beans, brooms and cement to the institution, sourced from proceeds of the 2026 Midlands Provincial Independence Ball.
Supt Maburutse said the prison is housing 254 inmates against its official holding capacity of 192, a situation that has placed considerable strain on available resources.
“As at this morning, we had 254 inmates against a holding capacity of 192. This means the prison is overcrowded by 62 inmates,” he revealed.
Supt Maburutse said Kwekwe Prison, which was established in 1910, remains the oldest correctional facility in
Midlands Province and is classified as a Grade Three prison.
He said the institution has a staff complement of 128 officers, made up of 74 men and 54 women, and noted that despite the challenges, staff morale remains high.
“We have a disciplined staff and staff morale is high as a result of the rations we are receiving,” he said.
However, Supt Maburutse said the prison continues to face significant accommodation challenges, with many officers forced to live outside the prison premises in surrounding suburbs.
“We are facing challenges in staff accommodation, with most of our officers residing in different suburbs,” he said.
He added that five accommodation blocks under construction are already being used before completion due to the growing demand for housing.
“We have five blocks under construction and we are already using them before completion as they require electrification. We are also housing officers from training,” he said.
Supt Maburutse said limited space remains one of the institution’s biggest challenges and appealed for urgent refurbishment of existing infrastructure.
“Our prison needs renovations. If possible, depending on the availability of land, it will be ideal to construct a new prison complex,” he said.
He also highlighted challenges related to transport and healthcare, noting that while the prison has vehicles, maintaining them remains a problem.
“We have adequate transport but we face challenges in having the vehicles serviced. We also have a shortage of medical supplies for chronic diseases at our clinic,” he said.
Supt Maburutse added that the prison is continuing with awareness campaigns aimed at tackling drug and substance abuse among inmates, officers and their dependants.
On inmate welfare, he said the institution currently has sufficient food supplies to meet daily needs.
“We have adequate food stocks for inmates. Our inmates have eggs for breakfast and chicken during meals, as well as apples and bananas,” he said.
He also appealed for the provision of new uniforms for inmates, particularly orange prison attire.
Sidumisile Mabena