Rumbidzai Ngwenya
THE government has moved to enact laws that improve the living conditions and treatment of prisoners after the Cabinet approved the Principles of the Witness Protection and Prisons and Correctional Services bills.
This comes amid criticism of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) regarding alleged poor treatment of inmates, pre-trial detention; prisoners’ dignity, cell conditions and sanitation; bedding; adequate clothing; the rights to sufficient food; safe, clean and potable water; healthcare services; access to education, vocational training and work; and a number of issues relating to juveniles deprived of their liberty.
Addressing a post-Cabinet briefing in Harare yesterday, Information minister Monica Mutsvangwa, pictured, said the Bill seeks to fill the gap in the law by establishing legislation to provide for witness protection in Zimbabwe.
“The absence of adequate witness protection mechanisms has resulted in the police taking the responsibility of protecting witnesses.
“The purpose of the Bill is to provide for the establishment of an office that caters for the protection and placement of witnesses under temporary, interim and permanent protection.
“The Bill seeks to regulate the powers, functions and duties of the office. Furthermore, it will establish the necessary procedures and measures on how witnesses are put into the witness protection programme,” Mutsvangwa said.
She said the prisons bill seeks to modernise the prisons legislation with a view to ensuring that it meets the international norms and standards regarding prisons administration, including the way prisoners should be treated.
“This includes focusing on restorative justice through rehabilitation rather than incarceration of offenders.
“The Prisons and Correctional Services Act will ensure that the prison system caters for the needs of the vulnerable groups such as pregnant women, juvenile offenders as well as persons with disabilities and other special categories in society that have special needs,” Mutsvangwa said.
The minister also said the parole system would be broadened to provide for the eligibility of every prisoner to apply for parole regardless of the nature of the sentences they are serving.
The legislation, she added, would provide for the establishment of correctional community centres throughout the country which will essentially be open prisons.
“These centres will also ensure the decongestion of prisons as certain prisoners will be released from standard prisons to reside in such community centres. They will also serve the purpose of easing the transition of inmates from incarceration to community life.
The legislation further seeks to promote community involvement in Prisons and Correctional Services in order to ensure that prisoners will not face difficulties and hostilities in being accepted back into their communities and within their families.
“The Prisons and Correctional Service Act will extend an inmate’s right to consult with a medical practitioner of their choice at their own expense. In tandem with the Constitution, the legislation affords inmates access to their lawyers before and during their trials”.
Regarding Covid-19, Mutsvangwa said that the total number of cases detected in schools since the beginning of the first term had decreased.
She said active cases detected through the schools’ surveillance system were under isolation and were being managed by the ministry of Health.
Attendance in schools remained stable at 100 percent for teachers and 84 percent for learners.
Mutsvangwa said the risk communication and information had rolled out an intensive Covid-19 vaccination publicity campaign nation-wide from Monday to April 3.
“The campaign will target people aged 12 years and above and is aimed at encouraging them to get vaccinated. Community engagement by religious and traditional leaders on all Covid-19 prevention measures will be strengthened during this vaccination campaign blitz,” Mutsvangwa said.