“We are looking forward to building completely new structures and facilities that are good enough for human beings and can accommodate more people, “said Zimondi after touring Zvishavane prison. He said a clean environment for inmates has always been the government’s priority, as those convicted of various crimes were also human beings who deserved a clean living environment – especially to avoid disease.
He applauded several prisons for being self-reliant in food production and thanked officers who had remained in the prison service even during the economic crisis, saying “There is no greener pasture than our Zimbabwe.” Last year the Parliamentary committee responsible for prisons heard that there were serious food shortages in the prisons, with some inmates having died of hunger.
Human rights groups and civic society organisations have complained of filthy conditions in police holding cells and prisons. Early this year President Robert Mugabe pardoned about 2,000 prisoners in a move to ease overcrowding. But most have already been re-arrested after committing crimes soon after their release.