News / National
Pardoned prisoners sing Mugabe praises
18 Feb 2014 at 16:47hrs | Views
Pardoned female prisoners at Chikurubi Maximum Prison yesterday showered praises on President Robert Mugabe as they walked out of prison, thanking him for the amnesty.
Female prisoners sang songs in praise of Mugabe and danced doing the butt wriggling dance.
"Gushungo, Gushungo, Gushungo," was all that could be heard as the happy female inmates shouted Mugabe's totem, raising clenched fists.
So happy were the prisoners that Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) national spokesperson Superintendent Elizabeth Banda had to rein them in.
"Be happy that you are going out, but don't be over excited," she said.
"If you are not careful, some of you will find their way back here in no time. Out there things are tough. Think about how you will survive without breaking the law. Do not antagonise the people that you wronged or else you will be jailed again," she counselled.
Female prisoners who spoke to the Daily News expressed joy that they were going home.
"I thank Gushungo for what he has done," said an elated Zvakanaka Nziradzemhuka, 52.
"I was sentenced to 12 years in 2006 for stealing three cows. I have nine children and when I was in here some married and now I am a grandmother. My youngest child was seven years old when I came here and now she is 15. I have missed them so much, but am glad that my sentence has been cut short by four years. This means I will have time to catch up."
Angeline Mutsimbika, 33, another prisoner said: "I was set to be released on April 16, 2023. I started serving on August 16, 2012. Do you realise what Gushungo has done?
I am grateful and I wish him a long life. I have two children and a husband and they don't know that am coming home. I haven't phoned anyone. I want to surprise them."
Erinah Masina, who doesn't know her age, said she was excited about going home.
"I was sentenced to three years for murder and today am set to leave without serving my whole sentence. This is great. I thank the Lord," Masina said.
Catharine Nyawo, 19, who gave birth to a baby boy last Friday, said the release came at the appropriate time for her.
"I was set to leave this place in 2020 and my son would have been six years by then. To be born here and live here is not appropriate. I am grateful of what the president has done. Now my son will grow up in a proper environment, just like any other children," Nyawo said.
But there were some who were crying as they watched colleagues depart.
"When is our turn to leave?" asked a female inmate on remand, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
At Chikurubi Farm Prison, it was the same story, with male prisoners excited that they are set to return home, earlier than they thought.
Mugabe pardoned 2 000 prisoners under Clemency Order Number 1 of 2014 and the amnesty was done under Section 112 (1) (a) of the constitution. The amnesty was also extended to male inmates, but not those on death row or serving life sentences.
Female prisoners sang songs in praise of Mugabe and danced doing the butt wriggling dance.
"Gushungo, Gushungo, Gushungo," was all that could be heard as the happy female inmates shouted Mugabe's totem, raising clenched fists.
So happy were the prisoners that Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) national spokesperson Superintendent Elizabeth Banda had to rein them in.
"Be happy that you are going out, but don't be over excited," she said.
"If you are not careful, some of you will find their way back here in no time. Out there things are tough. Think about how you will survive without breaking the law. Do not antagonise the people that you wronged or else you will be jailed again," she counselled.
Female prisoners who spoke to the Daily News expressed joy that they were going home.
"I thank Gushungo for what he has done," said an elated Zvakanaka Nziradzemhuka, 52.
"I was sentenced to 12 years in 2006 for stealing three cows. I have nine children and when I was in here some married and now I am a grandmother. My youngest child was seven years old when I came here and now she is 15. I have missed them so much, but am glad that my sentence has been cut short by four years. This means I will have time to catch up."
Angeline Mutsimbika, 33, another prisoner said: "I was set to be released on April 16, 2023. I started serving on August 16, 2012. Do you realise what Gushungo has done?
I am grateful and I wish him a long life. I have two children and a husband and they don't know that am coming home. I haven't phoned anyone. I want to surprise them."
Erinah Masina, who doesn't know her age, said she was excited about going home.
"I was sentenced to three years for murder and today am set to leave without serving my whole sentence. This is great. I thank the Lord," Masina said.
Catharine Nyawo, 19, who gave birth to a baby boy last Friday, said the release came at the appropriate time for her.
"I was set to leave this place in 2020 and my son would have been six years by then. To be born here and live here is not appropriate. I am grateful of what the president has done. Now my son will grow up in a proper environment, just like any other children," Nyawo said.
But there were some who were crying as they watched colleagues depart.
"When is our turn to leave?" asked a female inmate on remand, as tears streamed down her cheeks.
At Chikurubi Farm Prison, it was the same story, with male prisoners excited that they are set to return home, earlier than they thought.
Mugabe pardoned 2 000 prisoners under Clemency Order Number 1 of 2014 and the amnesty was done under Section 112 (1) (a) of the constitution. The amnesty was also extended to male inmates, but not those on death row or serving life sentences.
Source - dailynews
