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Poor living conditions at Bindura prison: MDC activist
20 Jun 2019 at 06:45hrs | Views
MDC activist and Mashonaland Central province youth treasurer Thulani Mcumillan Ndlovu has lamented the poor living conditions at Bindura prison following his arrest in the violent protests that rocked the country in January.
Ndlovu who was arrested together with eleven other Mvurwi protestors said the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) is hardening criminals instead of correcting their mistakes.
In an interview the activist said his experience at Bindura prison was not pleasing as most of the prisoners there walk half-dressed due to lack of clothing.
"My experience in remand prison was like hell, people in the prison are not being corrected instead they should not call it a correctional service because people are being hardened by accepting what is not normal, imagine living half –dressed for more than a month," lamented Ndlovu.
"There is a serious food shortage at Bindura remand prison in some instances we saw maggots in the Millie meal and one wonders if at all the organization (ZPCS) remembers that inmates are also human beings."
Ndlovu also denounced some prison officers' hostile behaviour and physical abuse towards inmates.
"There are some prison officers who are very hostile to inmates they forget some people will be innocent, even those who are guilty should be treated with respect since it is a correctional facility not a fixing place.
"Another factor is that the prison is overpopulated hence making it a breeding zone of diseases because no there is no enough ventilation in the cells.
Meanwhile, the activists who spent two weeks in remand was eventually acquitted of the charge challenged the government to channel resources towards the prisons.
"Our government should channel resources towards our prisons because there are people there, who also need to be treated as human beings, we see them looting resources and converting them to their own use but that is not good for the nation, it is high time the Mnangagwa regime stops all the corrupt activities and build the nation not forgetting those in prison."
Ndlovu who was arrested together with eleven other Mvurwi protestors said the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) is hardening criminals instead of correcting their mistakes.
In an interview the activist said his experience at Bindura prison was not pleasing as most of the prisoners there walk half-dressed due to lack of clothing.
"My experience in remand prison was like hell, people in the prison are not being corrected instead they should not call it a correctional service because people are being hardened by accepting what is not normal, imagine living half –dressed for more than a month," lamented Ndlovu.
"There is a serious food shortage at Bindura remand prison in some instances we saw maggots in the Millie meal and one wonders if at all the organization (ZPCS) remembers that inmates are also human beings."
"There are some prison officers who are very hostile to inmates they forget some people will be innocent, even those who are guilty should be treated with respect since it is a correctional facility not a fixing place.
"Another factor is that the prison is overpopulated hence making it a breeding zone of diseases because no there is no enough ventilation in the cells.
Meanwhile, the activists who spent two weeks in remand was eventually acquitted of the charge challenged the government to channel resources towards the prisons.
"Our government should channel resources towards our prisons because there are people there, who also need to be treated as human beings, we see them looting resources and converting them to their own use but that is not good for the nation, it is high time the Mnangagwa regime stops all the corrupt activities and build the nation not forgetting those in prison."
Source - Byo24News
