
Veronica Gwaze
It is a chilly winter morning in 2017, and the tall, heavily padlocked metal gates of Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison’s Psychiatric Unit swing open.
The visitors — including this writer and a Roman Catholic group — are greeted by a pungent odour and a soul-shattering sight.
Before them stands a visibly emotionally unstable group of inmates, clad in dirty, tattered khaki uniforms and discoloured red-and-white-striped jerseys.
Their hollow expressions convey a deep hopelessness, as if life to them is merely a clock counting down to their last breath.
During that era, life behind Zimbabwe’s prison walls was synonymous with humiliation, physical suffering and psychological torment.
Prisoners endured overcrowded cells, where they often had to sleep in shifts due to lack of space.

Namibia’s Deputy Commissioner General Mariana Martin sharing photography moments with ZPCD Commissioner-General Moses Chihobvu during the Zimbabwe-Namibia inmate rehabilitation programme in Zimbabwe recently.
Basic necessities such as food, water and medical care were inadequate, leaving inmates malnourished and vulnerable to disease.
Physical abuse and harsh punishments were rampant, while psychological support was non-existent.
For most inmates, the punitive environment fostered a cycle of despair and resentment, as there was little to no focus on their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Transformation
Fast forward to today and a remarkable transformation has taken place.
In 2013, the Zimbabwe Prisons Service (ZPS) was rebranded to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), shifting its focus from punishment to rehabilitation.
That year, Zimbabwe adopted a new Constitution, which underscored the importance of restoring offenders to become productive members of society.
“There is a Prisons and Correctional Service which is responsible for the protection of society from criminals through the incarceration and rehabilitation of convicted persons and others who are lawfully required to be detained, and their reintegration into society,” reads Section 277 of the Constitution.
Over the years, these facilities have evolved into centres of hope and reform.
The reforms also brought about the adoption of impactful, yet subtle prisoner rehabilitation trends, including a switch from the much-maligned khaki uniforms for men and green dresses for women — colours rooted in the colonial era.
Today, male prisoners wear orange uniforms, while their female counterparts don pink dresses.
Recent years have seen even more substantial improvements.
A tour of various ZPCS facilities now tells a story of rehabilitation-focused correctional centres.
Regional collaboration
This transformation has been largely driven by Zimbabwe’s participation in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Corrections/Prisons Sub-Committee (C/PSC) exchange programmes.
The C/PSC is a regional platform designed to foster collaboration, knowledge sharing and best practices among member states in managing correctional and prison systems.
It is part of SADC’s broader mandate to promote peace, security and development within the region.
The C/PSC oversees a range of exchange programmes that facilitate cooperation among member states on issues related to correctional and penitentiary services, aimed at improving prisons across the region.
The programmes aim to align correctional practices across SADC member states, moving towards a more rehabilitative and reintegrative approach to incarceration.
In addition, the C/PSC also tackles common challenges faced by prisons in the region, such as overcrowding, inadequate resources and the need for better rehabilitation programmes.
Overall, the exchange programmes provide opportunities for prison officials to learn from each other, share best practices and enhance their skills and knowledge.
“We have learnt and adopted a lot towards the betterment of our prisons from engaging in these programmes,” said ZPCS spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Meya Khanyezi.
“These collaborations with Zambia, Namibia, Eswatini, Botswana, Rwanda and the other countries in the region have brought significant positive changes within the ZPCS.”
Collective action
This year, prison authorities from across the SADC region convened at the Zambian Correctional Service Staff Training College for a six-month Cadet Course in Advanced Criminal Justice and Correctional Studies.
Zimbabwe sent 91 correctional officers, who were trained in areas such as correctional administration, criminal justice, basic law, offender risk management, parole systems and IT-based offender management systems.
“We now have a strong emphasis on the correctional and reintegration aspect and as such, we wanted our officers also to be transformed,” added Asst Comm Khanyezi.
“Our officers also took part at the Peer Interaction Workshop in the Kingdom of Eswatini.
“Here, delegates from Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Eswatini exchanged notes on the best practices in correctional facility management and the programmes are bearing fruit across the region.”
Inmate rehabilitation and success stories
As a result of these initiatives, prisons in the region, previously notorious for punishing offenders, are fast becoming world-class rehabilitation centres.
For example, social workers have been included into the system to provide assessment and intervention services for offenders, including individual counselling and group programmes designed to support rehabilitation.
In April, Nokuthula Sithole, a 23-year-old mother of two, was sentenced to serve six months at Chikurubi Female Prison for stealing a cellphone.
After being convicted, she felt hopeless.
Her alcoholic husband abandoned her and their children upon her incarceration.
“I had sleepless nights during my first days because the day I got incarcerated, my husband declared that it was over between us, so I had no one to help me,” she recalls.
With no one to turn to, she considered giving up her children, who are aged four and two and were with her during her incarceration, for adoption.
Her other fear was that after serving her jail term, she would not have anywhere to go.
However, psychological therapy and taking up a dressmaking course offered at the prison turned her life around.
Today, she earns a living as a seamstress, providing for her children and paying rentals.
Another inspiring story is that of Oripah Gaba, who was sentenced to serve two years after being found guilty of illegal gold panning.
At the time, she was just 17 and the youngest inmate at Chikurubi Female Prison.
“My parents separated when I was young, my father is mentally ill, so I went to live with my mother,” she said.
“While in Form Two, I fell pregnant to a man who conspired with his elder sister to forcefully bed me.”
Gaba dropped out of school after falling pregnant and after giving birth, she took up gold panning to provide for her child and aged mother.
Despite a traumatic past and the burden of being the breadwinner for her family, Gaba learned hairdressing and handbag making while serving her sentence.
At Marondera Open Prison, she sold her handmade bags to officers and the public, using the proceeds to support her mother and child.
Through her experience in prison, she emerged emotionally resilient and equipped with skills for a better future.
Contributing
As a result of such programmes, inmates are also contributing to national development.
At Harare Central and Khami prisons, they are assembling motorbikes in partnership with Gellos Motorcycles, producing over 170 units distributed to the Department of Agricultural, Technical and Extension Services (Agritex) stations in Matabeleland provinces and Bulawayo.
At Hurungwe Farm Prison, offenders are engaging in commercial farming.
The ZPCS has also established a Community Correctional Centre in Mt Hampden, where inmates work at Willdale Bricks Company, while staying under supervision.
These inmates are also receiving social protection benefits through the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and are earning wages that help them reintegrate into society.
Communities benefit
Families of ex-convicts are witnessing the positive impact of these rehabilitation programmes.
Skills such as agriculture, welding, auto-mechanics, carpentry and dressmaking empower inmates to become productive citizens after release.
“When Caston returned from Harare Central Prison after serving a three-year sentence for theft, he had acquired a welding certificate,” said his father, Bernard Chimutete.
“He is now married and able to provide for his wife and child.”
Commissioner General Frederick Chilukutu of the Zambia Correctional Service, who chairs the SADC C/PSC, says these programmes help SADC prison systems to find effective and joint solutions for common challenges.
“We note the remarkable progress in our systems, but it is still work in progress and more can still be done,” added Chilukutu.
“It is now evident that collective efforts contribute towards a safer and more just SADC region.”
Namibia Correctional Services Deputy Commissioner General Mariana Martin applauded the SADC region for the initiatives.
She said the programmes have helped improve the Namibian prison system in case management and general rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders back into the community.
“We do not have open prison systems in Namibia, but we have open farms, so learning from Zimbabwe, we are now working on it,” she said.
As part of the ongoing reform programmes, SADC prison authorities are planning to roll out further interventions that address the needs of inmates with special requirements starting next year.
From the grim despair witnessed behind Chikurubi’s gates to the inspiring stories of hope and renewal emerging today, the story of the region’s prison reforms illustrates the profound impact of rehabilitation.