News / National
Tsvangirai shell-shocked
31 Jan 2014 at 17:46hrs | Views
MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was yesterday left shell-shocked after the three MDC-T members who were released from remand prison on Wednesday recounted harrowing tales of the rigours of prison life at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.
Last Maengahama, an MDC-T national executive member, Harare councillor, Tungamirai Madzokera and Yvonne Musarurwa, a member of the Harare province youth assembly, were released after spending three years in remand prison on charges of murdering a police officer in Glen View, Harare in May 2011.
They deny the charge.
They were part of 29 MDC-T members who were arrested on a similar charge in 2011. The other 21 were acquitted last year.
The trio visited Tsvangirai at his Highlands home and recounted how their lives were changed by the walls of prison, locked along with convicted criminals, even though they were still to be convicted.
They described life in overcrowded concrete cells with rats and lice.
Tsvangirai described the arrest and incarceration of the MDC-T members as persecution.
"Yours was not prosecution," Tsvangirai said.
"Yours was persecution. The biggest challenge in the face of economic challenges that the country is facing is that in prison there is no food."
"I want to thank you for the courage and determination that you have shown. I am glad that you have the determination to see real change. The struggle continues until we attain real change. We will always be with you in this struggle."
The trio told Tsvangirai that although they spent nearly three years in remand prison, they remained emboldened in their fight for real change and a new democratic Zimbabwe.
"We thank the Lord for this opportunity. What happened on 29 January, 2013, we did not expect that we would be granted bail at the High Court," Musarurwa told Tsvangirai.
Musarurwa said when she was remanded in custody on June 3, 2011, she and the late Rebecca Mafukeni were removed from the female section of Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison to the male section where serving prisoners are committed to.
"They told us that we should not stay with other female prisoners as we were dangerous MDC-T activists," she said.
"Life was hard. We only saw the light of the day for 30 minutes each day.
"Right now the conditions in prison are very pathetic and there is serious hunger and people are dying every day."
Flanked by her parents, Musarurwa recounted how devastated she was when she lost her friend and fellow inmate Mafukeni, who died behind bars on August 12 last year.
"My hope was to come out from prison with my friend but that was not to be.
"It was a painful experience and whenever I saw people dying in jail, I just looked up to God," Musarurwa said.
"I never looked forward to walking out of prison. Instead of being kept at Harare Remand Prison, we were taken to Chikurubi Maximum Prison as we were considered a security risk.
The three said the hardest part of their lives was when Mafukeni died while still in remand prison. They claimed prison officials denied her medical attention.
"The situation in prison is not conducive to human survival," Maengahama said.
"There is no clothing, food and most prisoners are ill because of food shortages, with prisoners getting only one meal a day. The Zanu-PF government is failing to provide meals.
"At Chikurubi, there is no water and inmates go for weeks without bathing and even water to drink is now scarce while there is serious overcrowding, with cells meant for 15 inmates accommodating 37 people.
"The prisoners are getting infected with tuberculosis and other communicable diseases."
Like Musarurwa, Maengahama was incarcerated where convicted hard-core prisoners are serving.
"There are 400 very, very dangerous criminals in that section and only three of us were not convicted with the other two being mentally-ill patients who were waiting to go for medical examination," Maengahama said.
"The room where I slept is supposed to accommodate 15 people but we were 37 in that room.
"When one wanted to turn the other way, he would ask the whole group to do the same.
"We do not consider that we were in remand prison, we were serving and it is said that the judiciary allows people to be in remand prison for four to six years."
Maengehama said he is lucky to be alive and praised his wife, who steadfastly visited him, even when close friends and family had deserted him.
"I found my wife still around and she is the only person among my relatives who visited me for more than three times," said Maengehama, who plans to pen a book on his prison experiences.
Madzokera said: "During my incarceration, I learnt how ugly the judiciary and the prison system in the country are.
"There is hunger, no clothing and it shows that there is need for real transformation in the country.
"However, during my stay in remand prison, I managed to study and complete a diploma in public relations and I will be enrolling for further studies this year."
He added: "We learnt a lot in prison. In politics,one expects to be arrested and that is what we went through.
"However, one painful thing we always felt is that we should bury our comrades like Rebecca but we never had the chance as we struggled in the overcrowded prisons."
Tsvangirai said: "We have a struggle to defeat an unjust justice delivery system.
"In the face of economic challenges that the country is facing, the conditions are even more horrendous in prison. When I was jailed I used to eat mealie-meal mixed with cold water."
Last Maengahama, an MDC-T national executive member, Harare councillor, Tungamirai Madzokera and Yvonne Musarurwa, a member of the Harare province youth assembly, were released after spending three years in remand prison on charges of murdering a police officer in Glen View, Harare in May 2011.
They deny the charge.
They were part of 29 MDC-T members who were arrested on a similar charge in 2011. The other 21 were acquitted last year.
The trio visited Tsvangirai at his Highlands home and recounted how their lives were changed by the walls of prison, locked along with convicted criminals, even though they were still to be convicted.
They described life in overcrowded concrete cells with rats and lice.
Tsvangirai described the arrest and incarceration of the MDC-T members as persecution.
"Yours was not prosecution," Tsvangirai said.
"Yours was persecution. The biggest challenge in the face of economic challenges that the country is facing is that in prison there is no food."
"I want to thank you for the courage and determination that you have shown. I am glad that you have the determination to see real change. The struggle continues until we attain real change. We will always be with you in this struggle."
The trio told Tsvangirai that although they spent nearly three years in remand prison, they remained emboldened in their fight for real change and a new democratic Zimbabwe.
"We thank the Lord for this opportunity. What happened on 29 January, 2013, we did not expect that we would be granted bail at the High Court," Musarurwa told Tsvangirai.
Musarurwa said when she was remanded in custody on June 3, 2011, she and the late Rebecca Mafukeni were removed from the female section of Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison to the male section where serving prisoners are committed to.
"They told us that we should not stay with other female prisoners as we were dangerous MDC-T activists," she said.
"Life was hard. We only saw the light of the day for 30 minutes each day.
"Right now the conditions in prison are very pathetic and there is serious hunger and people are dying every day."
Flanked by her parents, Musarurwa recounted how devastated she was when she lost her friend and fellow inmate Mafukeni, who died behind bars on August 12 last year.
"My hope was to come out from prison with my friend but that was not to be.
"It was a painful experience and whenever I saw people dying in jail, I just looked up to God," Musarurwa said.
The three said the hardest part of their lives was when Mafukeni died while still in remand prison. They claimed prison officials denied her medical attention.
"The situation in prison is not conducive to human survival," Maengahama said.
"There is no clothing, food and most prisoners are ill because of food shortages, with prisoners getting only one meal a day. The Zanu-PF government is failing to provide meals.
"At Chikurubi, there is no water and inmates go for weeks without bathing and even water to drink is now scarce while there is serious overcrowding, with cells meant for 15 inmates accommodating 37 people.
"The prisoners are getting infected with tuberculosis and other communicable diseases."
Like Musarurwa, Maengahama was incarcerated where convicted hard-core prisoners are serving.
"There are 400 very, very dangerous criminals in that section and only three of us were not convicted with the other two being mentally-ill patients who were waiting to go for medical examination," Maengahama said.
"The room where I slept is supposed to accommodate 15 people but we were 37 in that room.
"When one wanted to turn the other way, he would ask the whole group to do the same.
"We do not consider that we were in remand prison, we were serving and it is said that the judiciary allows people to be in remand prison for four to six years."
Maengehama said he is lucky to be alive and praised his wife, who steadfastly visited him, even when close friends and family had deserted him.
"I found my wife still around and she is the only person among my relatives who visited me for more than three times," said Maengehama, who plans to pen a book on his prison experiences.
Madzokera said: "During my incarceration, I learnt how ugly the judiciary and the prison system in the country are.
"There is hunger, no clothing and it shows that there is need for real transformation in the country.
"However, during my stay in remand prison, I managed to study and complete a diploma in public relations and I will be enrolling for further studies this year."
He added: "We learnt a lot in prison. In politics,one expects to be arrested and that is what we went through.
"However, one painful thing we always felt is that we should bury our comrades like Rebecca but we never had the chance as we struggled in the overcrowded prisons."
Tsvangirai said: "We have a struggle to defeat an unjust justice delivery system.
"In the face of economic challenges that the country is facing, the conditions are even more horrendous in prison. When I was jailed I used to eat mealie-meal mixed with cold water."
Source - dailynews
