By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
BEITBRIDGE Prison is in need of a major facelift, with authorities and the local business community calling for urgent rehabilitation of the ageing correctional facility situated near one of Zimbabwe’s busiest border posts.
The call was made during the handover of a paint donation by the Beitbridge business community to the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), as stakeholders highlighted the deteriorating state of infrastructure at the institution.
Speaking at the handover ceremony, the Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Albert Nguluvhe said the private sector had a critical role to play in complementing government efforts to rehabilitate the prison.
He said the facility’s infrastructure, some of which dates back to 1956, was no longer suitable for the demands of a modern correctional institution.
“There is a need to modernise the facilities at the prison because some of the structures no longer match the standards of modern prisons,” the Minister said.
He urged the business community to work with government in refurbishing the facility, saying the rehabilitation of public infrastructure should not be left to government alone.
The concerns were echoed by ZPCS Beitbridge Officer-in-Charge Superintendent Onai Chimujakazi, who said the prison was facing several infrastructure challenges that required urgent attention.
Chimujakazi said the institution did not have an admissions block and that correctional officers were forced to share ablution facilities with inmates.
“The prison needs rehabilitation. We do not have an admissions block and officers are sharing ablution facilities with prisoners,” he said.
He said the general condition of the facility also required attention, including repainting.
The infrastructure challenges come at a time when the prison is housing more inmates than it was designed to accommodate.
The facility currently has 287 inmates against a holding capacity of 200, meaning it is accommodating 87 inmates above its designated capacity.
Representing the business community, Charles Terry Mulowa called on local businesses to move beyond once-off donations and contribute towards longer-term rehabilitation projects at the prison.
“As the business community, let us put our hands together and assist in the rehabilitation of the correctional facility, be it through painting or construction of toilets for officers,” he said.
The location of the prison has also added urgency to calls for its rehabilitation.
Situated in Beitbridge town, close to the Beitbridge Border Post, the correctional facility is located near one of Zimbabwe’s major gateways to the region.
Stakeholders said the condition of the prison was therefore not only an institutional concern but also an issue of the image the country presents to people entering Zimbabwe.
The business community’s donation of paint is expected to improve the immediate appearance of the facility, but stakeholders said a broader rehabilitation programme was needed to address structural challenges, including ablution facilities, the lack of an administration block and overcrowding.
Nguluvhe said continued cooperation between government, ZPCS and the private sector would be critical in transforming the ageing facility into a correctional institution that meets modern standards.