By Flata Kavinga
Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Owen Ncube has urged inmates at Kwekwe Prison to embrace rehabilitation programmes and prepare for successful reintegration into society upon completing their sentences.
Speaking during the handover of groceries and construction materials donated from proceeds of the 2026 Midlands Provincial Independence Ball, Ncube told inmates that imprisonment should not define their future.
“There is life after prison and the Second Republic’s top agenda is to rehabilitate and reintegrate you into our society,” he said.
Ncube said the government was committed to promoting rehabilitation and human dignity within correctional institutions through legislative reforms and social support programmes.
He cited the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service Act of 2023, which he said shifted the focus of the prison system from punishment to rehabilitation and successful reintegration of offenders into communities.
“The legislation aligns national prison laws with the Constitution and formally transitions the focus of the prison system from strict punishment to rehabilitation, human dignity and the successful reintegration of offenders into society,” he said.
Ncube said reforms introduced under the law include the restructuring of the parole system, sentence remissions, amnesties and the establishment of correctional community centres aimed at supporting offender rehabilitation.
He encouraged inmates to take advantage of opportunities available within correctional facilities to prepare for productive lives after release.
The minister handed over mealie-meal, rice, sugar, cooking oil, salt, soap, tea leaves, tissues, petroleum jelly, beans, brooms, chunks and bags of cement to Kwekwe Prison.
