Mutimurefu Prison comes of age
By Angeline Zimbwani Mikiri
What comes to mind when one hears of a prison is crime and prisoners. A lot of stigma is associated with that.
I had an extraordinary opportunity to interact with prison officials and found out that a prison is a correctional institution, where the inmates can come out with skills that can enable them to be fully rehabilitated into society after serving their sentences.
When someone is convicted most people think it’s the end of the road, but on the contrary, to some it’s the beginning of a new life, as people will begin to realise their flaws and begin to reform.
I caught up with Officer Commanding Masvingo Province, Senior Assistant Commissioner Ndanga, who said that, “Members of the public must begin to appreciate the role played by ZPCS (Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services).It is high time people support the institution.”
When I go there I witnessed a number of projects being undertaken by the institution. Some of the projects include clothing and design, welding, carpentry, motor mechanics, agricultural and horticultural projects.
“As an institution we are in pursuit of being productive and if resources permit we would like to increase our productivity and service our communities. Mutimurefu prison is supplying school furniture to local government institutions like schools and hospitals. We appeal for starter kits to the members of the public and the corporate world so as to increase our production. Other projects done at Mutimurefu are manufacturing of door frames and window frames.
The Prison has a capacity to produce enough food since they have farms in Chiredzi and Masvingo. In those farms there are various farming activities being undertaken, including horticulture, that is: tomato farming, peas, onions, various types of vegetables, green pepper, butternuts, etc.
Mutimurefu farm manager, Mr Jabheni highlighted that, “There is a challenge of farming implements like tractors and waters sources, If we can have a borehole drilled and also improve our irrigation infrastructure, it will go a long way, the food production can increase to the extent that we can sell to the communities at reasonable prices. We are training our inmates self-help projects and we have testimonies of former inmates who have done well for themselves when they leave the prison. Inmates are trained in courses by the Trade Test and get a reputable certificate from the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education and Science Development. We are urging people to change their thinking when they think of prisons.”
Superintendent Maburutse Maburutse emphasized the need for Zimbabweans from all over the world to come in as partners so as to improve the standards of Mutimurefu Prison. The prison is appealing for borehole drilling, drip lines, diamond wire mesh, jersey knitting machines for women, wire mending machine and motoring machines
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