Online Reporter
Ivan Zhakata
Herald Correspondent
Government is committed to sustaining reforms aimed at building a correctional system that upholds human dignity and complies with international standards, including the Mandela Rules, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Mrs Vimbai Nyemba has said.
Speaking during the 55th Session of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in The Gambia, Mrs Nyemba said Zimbabwe has made significant progress in reforming its correctional system and improving prison conditions in line with regional and international human rights obligations.
She said the enactment of the Prisons and Correctional Service Amendment Act marked a major shift from a punitive correctional approach to one centred on rehabilitation, reintegration and restorative justice.
“Our correctional institutions are no longer merely centres of punishment, but institutions capable of facilitating behavioural transformation, rehabilitation and successful reintegration into society,” said Mrs Nyemba.
She said the Government continued to implement measures to improve conditions of detention despite challenges such as prison overcrowding, ageing infrastructure and limited resources affecting correctional institutions across Africa.
Mrs Nyemba said Zimbabwe was investing in more than 40 prison farms to improve food and nutritional security through agricultural production and irrigation-supported projects.
She said healthcare services in prisons have also been strengthened through the procurement of modern medical equipment and the recruitment of qualified healthcare personnel, including mental health and psychiatric specialists.
“The Government prioritises the provision of sanitary pads, essential antenatal and postnatal care as well as free treatment for HIV-positive inmates,” she said.
Mrs Nyemba said Zimbabwe has introduced a parole system under the new legislative framework as part of measures aimed at decongesting prisons and strengthening offender rehabilitation.
She said Zimbabwe also hosted the Regional Conference on the Parole System in Africa in December last year to promote dialogue and strengthen regional cooperation on correctional reform and prisoners’ rights.
Mrs Nyemba said a delegation from the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights visited the Marondera Female Open Correctional Institution and Harare Central Prison during a recent promotion mission to Zimbabwe.
“These visits evidenced the success of the open prison system as an effective rehabilitation tool as it provides opportunities for inmates to work, interact with their families and transition back into community life,” she said.
Mrs Nyemba said the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service continued to implement vocational training and educational programmes aimed at equipping inmates with practical skills for successful reintegration into society upon release.
On accountability within the security sector, Mrs Nyemba said the Government had prioritised human rights training for members of the security services, with recruits undergoing training at security academies and regular refresher courses conducted countrywide.
She said the Zimbabwe Independent Complaints Commission was now operational and carrying out its constitutional mandate of investigating complaints against members of the security services.
“As of February 2026, the commission has received 61 complaints and 80 percent of those complaints have been finalised,” she said.
