The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara —
MR Rueben Chigumira (58), a former prison inmate who served 22 years in jail, will never forget the events that took place on Friday December 16, 2016.
On this day, more than a hundred people gathered at the Harare Central Prison Officer’s Mess to bid farewell to a prisoner that the local correctional system is said to be “proud of.” He was set to be released from prison the yesterday.
In a first for the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services, a farewell party was held in honour of an inmate. In 1994, Mr Chigumira was sentenced to a 33-year-old jail term after the Bulawayo High Court found him guilty for disregarding the Fire Arms Act and committing two armed robberies.
When Mr Chigumira was jailed, he had attained only two Ordinary Level subjects. However, when he walked out of prison, he had 11 “O” Level subjects and some “A” Level passes.
In prison, he attained five points in Geography, four in Divinity and three points in Accounts, Management and Business and Economics respectively.
He also sat for and passed seven commercial diplomas. What endeared Mr Chigumira to the prison and correctional services was not only the academic qualifications.
Speaker after speaker at the farewell party chronicled how the former inmate positively influenced the lives of fellow inmates. For 13 years, Mr Chigumira was the Chikurubi Maximum Prison headmaster responsible for co-ordinating educational activities for inmates.
In those years, the number of inmates that were excelling in their studies improved each year. When he was transferred to Harare Central Prison, the trend continued and in the 2015 examinations, the prison facilities recorded an 83 percent pass rate for “O” Level and a 92 percent pass rate for “A” Level students.
Apart from teaching, the father-of-three was also a minister of religion who helped thousands of inmates turn to God. Chief Superintendent Godfrey Chigogo of the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services said Mr Chigumira served as a good example to the other inmates.
“For the 22 years that he was here, we never had any problem with him. Instead, he helped many inmates to turn to God and helped others attain both educational and professional qualifications.”
“To Mr Chigumira, we say you are free to come back here not as an inmate but as our ambassador. We are definitely proud to be associated with you,” Chief Sup Chigogo said.
He explained why the ZPCS found it fit to honour Mr Chigumira before advising other inmates to take a cue from him.
“We do not just throw a farewell party for everyone. The high levels of discipline that the former inmate possesses surpassed our expectations. For the entire 22 years that he was in prison, he was disciplined and made our work easy.”
“Inmates must follow the example that was set by Mr Chigumira,” Chief Sup Chigumira said.
A holder of a Diploma in Theology, Mr Chigumira said he is going to be a full-time pastor.
“I received a calling whilst I was in prison and I am going to be involved in God’s work,” Mr Chigumira said.
According to Mr Chigumira, he committed several armed robberies before he was sentenced and jailed.
“We robbed a shop in Bulawayo and got away with Z$650 000. We also got away with Z$500 000 in another heist,” Mr Chigumira said.
With the arm of the law fast catching up with him, Mr Chigumira skipped the border to South Africa where he worked for a financial institution for four years. According to the former inmate, he was arrested in Mutare after he shot a man who had tried to mug him.
“When I was in South Africa, I was involved in illegal drugs. A man tried to mug me in Mutare and I drew out a pistol and shot him in the leg. I was subsequently arrested, resulting in the police unearthing my past crimes,” he said.
When he was incarcerated, he left behind three children — twin sons and a daughter. The daughter, Charity, was only 18 days old when her father was jailed. He said his family was very supportive when he was in jail.
“My family would visit me every month and this kept me going. In prison I was only frustrated by my failure to have money to do a degree programme.”
Mr Chigumira’s wife and three children could not attend the farewell party since they were on their way from South Africa, where they are now based.
Meanwhile, Mr Chigumira gave a detailed account of the last moments of Stephen Chidhumo, the notorious armed robber who was executed 20 years ago.
The Sunday Mail Extra will reveal this story next week.
