75% of prisoners did not commit any offence - MP Tshuma

Zanu PF MP Joseph Tshuma has claimed that more than 75% of prisoners are people who did not commit the offences they were convicted for and this means that prisoners must be treated as human beings like any one.

According to the parliament Hansard, Tshuma said he visited these prisons as it  has been alluded to already that these inmates are human and therefore should be treated with that dignity, but he have realised that the prison officers themselves do not treat inmates like they are human beings.  He said this has caused these kinds of turmoils.

"They have spoken about the attempted jail breaks and stuff like that being caused by food shortages and other things – but also  how do you feel when you are a normal adult; yes of course you are in prison, being subjected to treatment like you are probably nothing or a child," Tshuma said.

"I have always wondered why if you look at prisoners, when they come to a certain door, they are made to kneel or lie down but they are human beings."

He said this is being done by the prison wardens.

"Why are they treating people as if they are nothing? This has psychological effects. People will end up wanting to revolt against that system. It is very imperative that the authorities of prison are shown and taught that this is a normal human being," he said.

"Besides that, are you aware  that 75% or so of those inmates did not commit those crimes at all. They are there for reasons that they do not even know. Whilst they are in there they are being subjected to inhumane treatment by the wardens. It is very wrong."

Tshuma said while they talk of food, it is important and they must talk about the treatment of these people as well.

"They must be treated with respect so that they feel and know that they are still part of a system and a society. They have gone in there but they must be rehabilitated. But how do you rehabilitate somebody when you undermine them so much that when they are talking to you they must be kneeling down? Why? We are all human beings. In the colonial era, we were meant to kneel down to the white people but this has been carried on by our own fellow black brothers and sisters," he said.

"I am saying that these wardens must learn to treat inmates as human. They must know that tomorrow it could be them inside there. How will they feel to kneel down? Why are they making someone kneel down? I think it is very improper. Let us treat people with the dignity that they deserve then they will not think of rioting or breaking those jails. They will go there and know that they are in prison to serve their sentence and once that is done, they will go back and be rehabilitated and go back to society."

He said the emphasis on the diet  was that most of these prisons have got farms.

He said when the money comes, let the government concentrate on income generating projects in those prisons.

"I can envisage a situation whereby probably at Khami Prison, there is a vast piece of land there. Why do they not build poultry runs and rear broilers or layers? Prisoners will then start having a proper diet because they will have the eggs there for breakfast. They will be able to have chicken relish because they will be rearing chickens in prisons," said Tshuma.

"I have always wondered why their day ends so early. I think their day ends at about three o'clock. They are shut down to go and sleep yet they can go out and do productive work, feed themselves and sell the excess outside. That way, we will have a balanced diet in prisons and we have prisoners that are eating properly and respected by the wardens as well," he said.

"Let the Prison Wardens respect those inmate, they are human. When they do that, things are going to be proper."