News / National
Prison officer fired for giving inmate a Valentine's card
27 Feb 2011 at 23:27hrs | Views
HARARE - A female prison officer has been suspended pending dismissal for having an affair with an inmate at Harare Central Prison.
The alleged love affair between prisoner officer Patisiwe Mapuranga (age not given) and an inmate, Fani Moyo, from the prison's B-class section, had been going on for several months unnoticed. Their luck ran when Mapuranga decided to express her affection by giving her incarcerated boyfriend a card with a love message on St Valentine's Day.
An excited Moyo could not keep the secret and for the next four days, he bragged to the other inmates in the B-section that he was in love with Mapuranga. Out of jealousy, some of the inmates tipped off other male senior prison officers who then launched an investigation into the matter.
The male prison officers are said to have raided Moyo's cell where they found the card. Zimbabwe Prison Service spokesperson Priscilla Mthembo last week confirmed the incident, saying investigations were still under way.
"We are dealing with such a matter and a disciplinary board has been set up. She (Mapuranga) is currently on suspension. She violated the regulations which make it an offence for a prison officer to have an affair with an inmate. It is also an offence to traffic prohibited items into our cells. Prisons are there for rehabilitation purposes and not for love affairs with inmates as this compromises the purpose of rehabilitation and the security systems at our correctional facilities," said Mthembo.
Sources said after Mapuranga's affair with Moyo was discovered, she openly told the male senior prison officers that she had never been courted by any man.
"She told the disciplinary officers that Moyo had been the only man in the world who had ever asked her out and she was left with no option but to accept the inmate's proposal," said the source.
The source said investigations were still under way to determine if the two had been intimate at the correctional facility.
The alleged love affair between prisoner officer Patisiwe Mapuranga (age not given) and an inmate, Fani Moyo, from the prison's B-class section, had been going on for several months unnoticed. Their luck ran when Mapuranga decided to express her affection by giving her incarcerated boyfriend a card with a love message on St Valentine's Day.
An excited Moyo could not keep the secret and for the next four days, he bragged to the other inmates in the B-section that he was in love with Mapuranga. Out of jealousy, some of the inmates tipped off other male senior prison officers who then launched an investigation into the matter.
The male prison officers are said to have raided Moyo's cell where they found the card. Zimbabwe Prison Service spokesperson Priscilla Mthembo last week confirmed the incident, saying investigations were still under way.
"We are dealing with such a matter and a disciplinary board has been set up. She (Mapuranga) is currently on suspension. She violated the regulations which make it an offence for a prison officer to have an affair with an inmate. It is also an offence to traffic prohibited items into our cells. Prisons are there for rehabilitation purposes and not for love affairs with inmates as this compromises the purpose of rehabilitation and the security systems at our correctional facilities," said Mthembo.
Sources said after Mapuranga's affair with Moyo was discovered, she openly told the male senior prison officers that she had never been courted by any man.
"She told the disciplinary officers that Moyo had been the only man in the world who had ever asked her out and she was left with no option but to accept the inmate's proposal," said the source.
The source said investigations were still under way to determine if the two had been intimate at the correctional facility.
Source - Byo24NEWS
