38 ex-convicts back in prison
A TOTAL of 38 criminals have been re-arrested and put back in jail, barely a month after being set free following a Presidential Amnesty granted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, an official said.
In an interview with Sunday News in Bulawayo last week, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Elizabeth Banda said those that were back in jail had committed both petty and serious crimes.
“We released 4 912 prisoners in the country’s prisons but in the same vein sadly 38 are back in prison. Some have committed the same crimes, some have new crimes but we noticed that most are petty crimes such as theft and unlawful entry but also some did commit bigger crimes such as armed robbery and assault,” she said.
Asst Comm Banda said some of the prisoners said they faced a challenge of stigma and discrimination from their families.
“They told us that they were stigmatised and discriminated against by their families and society but what the public should know is that some people come to prison because of circumstances while others would have truly committed crimes. Some leave prisons fully repentant and we encourage society to travel that rehabilitation journey with us,” she said.
Asst Comm Banda said inmates were released while they were at different stages of rehabilitation and their families need to understand that.
“If relatives, friends and families had walked together with us on the road to rehabilitation by visiting inmates while they were in jail, they would have understood how far they had gone in the rehabilitation of the inmate and stigmatisation would not have taken place,” she said.
She said it was essential for the public to understand the dynamics of crime and embrace inmates when they are released as some do not willingly commit crime. THE policies that were introduced to protect local manufacturers against competition from international companies will be reviewed to enable local players to compete with businesses that are coming into the country, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Speaking during the tour of Bulawayo textile giant, Archer Clothing Manufacturers on Thursday last week, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Enterprise Development Dr Mike Bimha said policies to protect local industry will not stay forever as the country is opening up to foreign investment.
“What I want to believe now as we are speaking of opening and saying Zimbabwe is now open for business, you will find other players coming in and when they do how do they fare with you in terms of your technology and in terms of your equipment and your efficiency and we hope that in all your plans you take that into consideration. There are certain policies that we came up with to support local production and it is not forever and competition is here to stay and the question is what will you do?” said Dr Bimha.
Archer Clothing general manager Mr Shaine Beamish said the company was doing well.
“Our efficiency levels are international standards and we are able to export to the region, to South Africa and to Germany so we are able to compete globally and we do not have much complaints compared to others in the industry. We are ready to compete with the global market,” he said.
Among other things the Government had
She said the released inmates need access to resources just like any other citizen so that they prove that they had been rehabilitated and acquired skills while in prison.
“One thing that people do not notice is that when one is out of prison it is not that he is still a criminal. You find some saying mbavha yadzoka when an inmate is released, but we have many people who have not been arrested but are criminals. It is just a matter of time before they are caught.
“When there are robberies in neighbourhoods the first target is the recently released inmate yet we have criminals who are lingering around,” she said. This victimisation, she said, should stop. Some she said are denying their pardoned inmates basic needs.
“You find some telling us that their relatives are hiding things like toothpaste because they fear it will be stolen by the former inmate so people then go and commit petty crimes to get basic goods,” she added.
Asst Comm Banda said the country should make combined efforts to fight crime and reduce it as eradication was not possible.
The ZSCP applauded the business community for embracing former inmates in to their companies.
“We have former inmates that have declared their status to potential employers and have been employed despite their history and many have surpassed people who have not committed crimes because they have been in prison before they know the situation in there and they do not want to be back.”
She said the inmates have since become assets in the companies that hired them.
ZPCS said they have partnerships with companies that employ former inmates.
“There are companies that we are working with that are taking former inmates, in Manicaland we have Border Timbers, inmates go to work and come back, some have done well and they were employed full time after being released from prison. We also have female inmates who are at salons and they perform well,” said Asst Comm Banda.
Govt to review policies that protect local industry
introduced is S I 63 of 2017 which increased the duty on cotton and polycotton to support local players in the country and decrease imports which had resulted in the country losing foreign currency.
Mr Beamish said the company had over 2 000 workers and was operating efficiently.
“The group has in total about 2 300 employees and a 1 000 are here at Archer in Bulawayo, a lot of our developments have happened here; we moved from 400 employees to 1 000 within a year.
“In terms of profitability it all depends on the market in which we operate so the profits that we have is a direct result of how many people we have so the more people we have, the more profits there are.
“All of our profits have returned in the form of fabric and raw material to make clothes that are our recipe, there are no dividends and there is no take out; everything stays in the business to grow it bigger,” he said.
Archer Clothing Manufacturers human resources manager Mr Peter Simango said the company will be constructing a training school for its employees.
“We want to increase the number of employees because we have orders. Our work wear and our safari ranges are doing very well in the market and because demand has become more we need to increase.
We are running very efficiently at the moment but because of high demand we need to increase production.
“At the moment I am setting up a training school to train young people. There is quite a range that we require in our field as a manufacturer,” Mr Simango.