Online Reporter
Chronicle Correspondent
The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) has taken another major step toward economic independence with the official opening of the Mtshabezi River View Resort at Gwanda Prison Camp.
The facility is a public-private partnership (PPP) between ZPCS and local company, Marleg Investments.
The resort was launched last Friday by ZPCS Deputy Commissioner General (DCG), Social Ndanga, who is responsible for Production and Business Management.
Speaking at the ceremony, DCG Ndanga praised Matabeleland South Province for building strong relations with the local business community.
He said the resort, completed in just four months, reflects ZPCS’s broader shift toward self-sufficiency and productive engagement.
Facilities at the resort include a thatched gazebo bar, candy shop, braai area, and sports grounds.
According to DCG Ndanga, the development aligns with the Service’s Production, Innovation and Entrepreneurship (PIE) policy championed by Commissioner-General Dr Moses Cyril Ngawagwe Chihobvu.
“Today’s event is a testament to the strong relationships that ZPCS is building with the business community, the general public, and the communities that we serve,” said DCG Ndanga.
“It demonstrates the importance of ZPCS not only as a service provider, but also as a partner in contributing to the national development agenda and the attainment of Vision 2030.”
He added that such partnerships reduce pressure on the national fiscus while creating opportunities for inmates, staff, and surrounding communities.
Before the ribbon-cutting, DCG Ndanga led an executive delegation that included Commissioner for Production Bennias Changunduma and Deputy Chief Accountant Chief Superintendent Patience Muzari on a tour of Gwanda Farm Prison.
The team assessed existing agricultural projects aimed at food security and income generation for the institution.
Speaking during the tour, Commissioner Cleopas Mzila Moyo, Officer Commanding ZPCS Matabeleland South Province, said the resort was born out of deliberate outreach to local entrepreneurs.
“This project is a product of an accelerated drive to meet set goals, requiring renewed energy and strategies to effectively contribute to national development while becoming less dependent on the national fiscus,” said Commissioner Moyo.
“It is a result of positive engagement efforts by ZPCS Matabeleland South and the local business fraternity.”
The ZPCS leadership said the resort is about more than revenue. Public-private partnerships are becoming central to how the Service delivers its mandate.
First, they help institutions become financially sustainable and less reliant on government funding, and they strengthen relations between correctional facilities and the communities around them. By opening its doors to business and the public, ZPCS is changing perceptions and building trust.
Commissioner Moyo said, critically, the ventures support rehabilitation, considering that joint projects provide inmates with vocational training in hospitality, catering, agriculture, maintenance, and business management. The skills gained are meant to ease reintegration after release and reduce recidivism.
“We invite other investors to come on board. Together we can build facilities that serve the public, empower inmates, and grow the local economy,” he said.
The Director of Marleg Investments, Mr Learnmore Gwatida, thanked ZPCS for accepting his commercial proposal, adding that the current facilities are only phase one of a larger plan.
“We are offering various services as a leisure centre, including a bar, candy shop, butchery, braai area, and a well-maintained football ground that already attracts crowds in Gwanda,” he said.
“Our next phase will expand landscape design toward the Mtshabezi River to accommodate families, church gatherings, conferences, and celebrations in a safe environment.”
Mr Gwatida noted that the partnership will boost local tourism, create jobs, and give Gwanda residents a new recreation destination.
The Mtshabezi River View Resort launch signals a growing trend within ZPCS to leverage private capital and expertise. As the government pushes for economic growth under Vision 2030, institutions like ZPCS are being called upon to innovate.
For Gwanda, the official added, the resort adds a new leisure option while creating a platform for community engagement with the correctional service.
For ZPCS, it is proof that prisons can be productive hubs that contribute to development rather than just places of custody.
He said with phase two already on the drawing board, ZPCS and Marleg Investments remain committed to expanding the resort into a full tourism and conference destination on the banks of the Mtshabezi River.
