The Sunday News
Loveness Mpofu and Mashudu Mambo, Sunday News Reporters
THE Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Cde Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo, has commended the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) for promoting social reintegration of offenders to advance the reduction of crime in the country.
Speaking during the African Prisons and Correctional Services Day commemorations, held at White City Stadium in Bulawayo yesterday, Cde Moyo said the transformation of prisons to correctional centres has helped in rehabilitating offenders and build safer societies.
The commemorations were under the theme “Building a Correctional System in Africa, A Strategic Objective” and also marked ZPCS’s ninth anniversary, since its rebranding in 2013 from Zimbabwe Prisons Services.
“This change certainly re-emphasised a paradigm shift from the retributive to the reformist and rehabilitative agenda which is being advocated by the Government of Zimbabwe and most correctional services in Africa. This saw us committing our effort to transforming the department’s inherent system from the repressive colonial regimes to people’s correctional system that is effective in rehumanising our people whose dignity had been ravaged by discriminatory and massive inequalities, rehabilitating offenders in order to effectively break the cycle of crime and build safer societies,” she said.
Cde Moyo said the rationale for community involvement in offender treatment needed to be enthusiastically considered given the fact that offenders come from the community and are only in detention facilities for a relatively short period of time with the exception of a few serving long term life and maximum sentences.
“The involvement of the community in offender rehabilitation maintains the link between the offender and the community and to a greater extent eliminates isolation and stigmatisation that the offender and his or her immediate family may suffer,” she said.
This year’s commemorations were preceded by the family week which set a tone into yesterday’s event where relatives, friends, church organisations, artistes, soccer teams and individuals thronged various prisons to interact and share food with inmates.
ZPCS has adopted innovative ways in its correctional system which saw inmates attaining education and professional qualification while in custody.
These were being attained from different registered institution such as Zimbabwe Open University, Westgate Vocational Training Centre and the Institute of People Management of Zimbabwe (IPMZ).
“Most of the inmates are also sitting for Ordinary and Advanced Level while serving their sentences and this has been done to instill the spirit of being entrepreneurs rather than employees,” said Cde Moyo.
She urged stakeholders and individuals to continue to support the endeavours of the ZPCS so as to promote correctional development in all the prisons.
ZPCS Officer commanding Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Senior Assistant Commissioner Mailosi Jomane and Matabeleland South’s acting officer Commanding Assistant Commissioner Shepherd Mpofu also attended the event.
