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Pamela Shumba/Leonard Ncube
THE Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) is setting up a commission of inquiry to look into last week’s food riots at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison which left five inmates dead.
The ZPCS is also appealing to families of people whose relatives are incarcerated in the country’s prisons to bring food to help feed the inmates.
ZPCS spokesperson Chief Superintendent Elizabeth Banda-Karinda yesterday said they were in the process of setting up a commission of inquiry to look into the Chikurubi riot last Friday.
“We’ve decided to come up with a board of inquiry to look into this matter, to investigate what exactly transpired. I believe that the riot staged by the inmates last week wasn’t only about food. I think there’s more to it because we’ve had severe food shortages, especially in 2008 and 2009, but nothing of this nature happened,” said Chief Supt Banda-Karinda.
“We’re also appealing to friends and families of our inmates to bring food for their relatives because we’re facing serious shortages of funds to buy adequate food.”
Chief Supt Banda-Karinda said the ZPCS has not been receiving sufficient funds to feed about 19,000 inmates in the country’s 46 prisons.
“Generally, we haven’t been receiving enough funds from Treasury to buy the standard food that is subscribed by the government. Instead of getting $1.5 million per month to cover food, detergents and medical treatment for the prisoners, the government is only giving us $150,000,” said Chief Supt Banda-Karinda.
“We’ve since resorted to substituting some of the food with cheaper food. When we’re supposed to serve the inmates meat, we settle for sugar beans because it’s cheaper for us.”
She added that the prisons service had been hard-hit by the economic challenges, to the extent that it has been forced to forgo special diets for sick inmates.
“Ideally, we’re supposed to be spending $3,57 per day on each prisoner but we’re spending far less than that and we’ve since stopped calculating. This means that we’ve to forgo certain things and prioritise to suit the funds that are at our disposal. As for the special diets for the sick inmates, we’re no longer considering them and we hope relatives of the prisoners will assist us by bringing them food.”
She said after some prisoners were released under the Presidential amnesty, ZPCS was left with about 17,000 inmates, making it easier to operate, but the number has since risen to about 19,000.
Meanwhile, representatives of the business community visited Victoria Falls Prison yesterday in the company of members of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (Misa) Victoria Falls chapter.
Misa donated 60kg of mealie-meal, 10 litres of cooking oil, 20kg of sugar and kapenta fish for the inmates. Misa Victoria Falls chapter chairman Clement Mukwasi said the donation was inspired by the need to ensure inmates have enough food.
“We thought as media persons we’re representatives of the society and we should chip in to help. We’re aware of challenges and needs of prisons who are short of some basics. This donation was triggered by recent events at Chikurubi,” said Mukwasi.
The officer in charge of Victoria Falls Prison Munyaradzi Shonhiwa said they were “grateful for this gesture,” adding:
“As a prison, we rely on well-wishers such as churches who give us provisions. Inmates do curio carving and sell products for their upkeep.”
Online Reporter