Trapped inmates dying of hunger and disease in Zimbabwe’s prisons

By Violet Gonda
31 March 2009

Johann Abrahams, a South African Executive Producer for the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), has described the conditions in Zimbabwe’s prisons as ‘disgusting, shocking and a crime against humanity. Abrahams has produced a documentary entitled "Hell Hole" for "Special Assignment," a weekly SABC television news feature, broadcast in South Africa.

The Executive producer said conditions are bad for ordinary Zimbabweans, but the situation in prisons is a nightmare, because the inmates are trapped and cannot get out to find food for themselves – so they are totally reliant on the prison service to provide meals for them. But there is hardly any food and if the prisoner has no relatives to bring him any, he will die a slow and agonising death.

The documentary shows footage from Khami, Beitbridge and Harare Remand Prisons, taken with help from prison wardens and inmates who supplied footage using spy cameras supplied by the film crew. The SABC producer said some relatives also took pictures of the inmates, using cell phone cameras when they went to visit. Relatives and prison wardens alike are all horrified at the situation, and were willing helpers with the filming.

The film shows gruesome pictures of completely emaciated prisoners; “You could count their ribs. It’s just basically skin and bone and most of them are suffering from pellagra, which is a disease you get when you don’t eat a balanced diet and no vitamin B3.”

Abrahams said the skin colour of the inmates has become darker and the skin just peels off. “And also the way they walk, when you see them, it’s almost as if they have sores under their feet,” said Abrahams.

There is now a serious humanitarian crisis and at least 20 inmates are dying daily in Zimbabwe’s prisons countrywide, due to the extreme hunger and disease.

The situation is also being worsened by overcrowding. The Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender (ZACRO) reported last year that the 55 prisons across the country have a capacity to hold 17 000 people but an estimated 35 000 inmates are in jail today.

Pressure is mounting on the inclusive government to act. The SABC said government officials were reluctant to comment about the crisis and a comment only came late Tuesday morning, the day of the broadcast, from Jessie Majome, the MDC Deputy Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs. Majome acknowledged that there is a serious problem, and appealed for humanitarian aid.

Critics have said that instead of the MDC appealing for humanitarian aid, they should take real action. In the short term it would be quicker and more effective to mobilize concerned Zimbabweans to supply food directly to the prisoners.

The blame of course lies squarely with the ZANU PF regime. “It is certainly a crime against humanity, and if you look at the pictures it’s really terrible,” said Johann Abrahams.
A group calling itself Zimbabwe Democracy Now, has called for the immediate resignation of Zimbabwe Prisons Commissioner, Paradzai Zimonde, and his two Deputy Commissioners,
The pressure group said the prison authorities should be detained in their own jails for gross negligence and abuse of basic human rights. They said evidence shows that the authorities are well aware of the crisis in the prison system.

“Starvation, torture, illegal punishments, deprivation of medical attention and severe overcrowding are prominent in annual reports, which have been routinely ignored by those in command,” said Mrs. Moyo from Zimbabwe Democracy Now.