ZPCS sets up complaints’ desk Herald Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) has set up a complaints desk to handle inmates’ grievances and uphold their rights while in jail.
The new desk also deals with ZPCS officers’ complaints and was set up early this month following the publication of a case in which an ex-prisoner, recently freed on amnesty, complained over the breaking of his arm while in jail.
Tatenda Govere claims two prison officers brutally attacked him for budging into the cell of a jailed businessman who was illegally hosting an unidentified woman.
He said he suffered a broken arm, but struggled to have his case reported to the police until external forces intervened.
Govere claims he failed to follow up on his police case because the assailants and their colleagues were denying him access to police.
The case is now at the National Prosecution Authority (NPA) for vetting, some two years after the commission of the offence.
ZPCS spokesperson Superintendent Meya Khanyezi said the desk was immediately established to handle prisoners and officers’ grievances fairly.
“In our endeavour to bridge the gap between inmates and different stakeholders, we have established a national complaints desk to assist our internal and external publics,” said Superintendent Khanyezi.
“The desk is part of the public relations department and all inmates with complaints are free to approach us for assistance. We have tasked provincial public relations officers to be in charge of the desk in their respective provinces to ensure prisoners’ and officers’ complaints are impartially handled.”
ZPCS also welcomed ideas from other stakeholders on how to improve prison services and was determined to uphold prisoners’ rights in line with the Constitution and international human rights treaties.
“In upholding the inmates’ rights, the ZPCS ensures that offenders retain their human rights and fundamental freedoms set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights),” she said.
“For example, the department aims at providing sufficient food, shelter, bedding and clothing requirements to offenders as and when they come to prison. Thus, the ZPCS is one such institution that recognises and upholds prisoners’ rights, as depicted in the United Nations Minimum Standard Rules for the Treatment of Offenders (now known as The Nelson Mandela Rules).”