Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has granted a Presidential Amnesty to 4,279 detainees, according to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS).
ZPCS says a total of 4,166 men and 104 women will be freed from the country’s 47 main prisons and 8 satellite prisons.
In a statement released on Thursday, ZPCS spokesperson Meya Khanyezi said:
“These inmates were being rehabilitated and have been serving for the offences they committed against the state therefore, those aggrieved are encouraged to forgive them for their successful reintegration into society.”
According to a Statutory Instrument of an Extraordinary Government Gazette published last Friday by the Ministry of Justice, Legal, and Parliamentary Affairs, those who have been pardoned include terminally ill female prisoners and juveniles who are not serving specified offences.
Prisoners to be released must have served one-third of their sentences by 18 April 2023 while those who remain in prison are convicts serving time for violence-related offences.
Khanyezi appealed to the public to forgive and embrace the inmates that have been offered amnesty.
“We would like to appeal to the close family members, stakeholders, and the society at large to embrace and accept inmates who have been released on amnesty.
Successful reintegration of inmates back into society is not the sole mandate of ZPCS alone but it requires combined efforts from all citizens of Zimbabwe.
These inmates were being rehabilitated and have been serving for the offenses they committed against the state, therefore, those aggrieved are encouraged to forgive them for their successful reintegration into society.”
Prisoners set for release and their province:
Harare – 790 (770 males and 20 females)
Bulawayo Metropolitan – 688 (680 males and 8 females)
Midlands – 537 (527 males and 10 females)
Midlands – 537 (527 males and 10 females)
Mashonaland East – 397 (358 males and 39 females)
Mashonaland West – 340 (333 males and 7 females)
Mashonaland Central – 206 (204 males and 2 females)
Masvingo – 398 (392 males and 6 females)
Matabeleland North – 231 (230 males and 1 female)
Matabeleland South – 129 (127 males and 2 females)
Zimbabwe’s prisons with a capacity of 17,000 inmates currently holds more than 22 000.