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.
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I always finds it fascinating how SW Radio gets its information from mostly white south Africans visiting Zimbabwe, then a connection is made to the UK 10,000 miles to publish on BBC, then it is broadcast internationally. Then, it is expect that Zimbabweans will respond faithfully have been lectured by the Britons. Ahaaa the connections of the Anglo white minorities in SADC and their brethren in the UK. This is what disturbs most of us Is this a free press or spying or agenda driven journalism?
Given the subject is very serious and most of Zimbabweans already know the appalling conditions in Zimbabwean prisons. Absolutely no denying Is this communication system more likely to make most African govt anti-British media???
Its because the zimbabweans are too scared or fearful to report such atrocities! In my mind, I DONT CARE WHO REPORTS IT! Fact of the matter is that people who are not eating and are spreading diseases and are dying in our ZIMBABWEAN PRISONS where we are supposed to be upholding human rights and thats all that should matter- this is not stuff that needs to be politicised! People like you who polarize want to politicise everything- no need for politics here- people are dying FULL STOP! AND IT NEEDS TO STOP NOW!!!
Hear! Hear!
rlaureen, the notion that Zimbabweans are too scared is rubbish!!! Zimbabwean black journalists have been jailed and killed and you call that scared. Total rubbish!! Zimbabweans can and do speak for themselves. For you to say that we need a white anglo to speak for Zimbabweans , is exactly the problem that Mugabe has used. The anglo british journalists want to define everything that is African to the world. There is a growing realization that actually british writers are harming Africa because of their usual hyperbolic articles about Africa. And quiet frankly who wants to be defined by a stranger? Swedes, Finish, Dannish, Germanys and others are totally surprised when they visit southern Africa. They are surprised because the British press and a small misguided white "Africans" are busy writing hyperbolic articles. I would even argue that most articles written by anglos and other whites have been very ineffective in changing Muagbe's behaviour. It is only when people in SADC actually confronts Mugabe that you get him to move! People listen to a person that they feel have a shared culture with. Smart white people are beginning to get that...Apparently you are not one of them!!
Phiri - I believe that you have missed the point that rlaureen was making. Yes, he/she did say that no internal whistle blower revealed what is happening and yes he/she ascribed it to fear; however,the point that they were making was that it does not matter one iota who revealed it - what does matter is that the situation is rectified immediately.
I have suggested in another post on the same subject that the Government should clean out the prisons and only hold onto the very worst cases such as violent offenders who are likely to re-offend or paedophiles. Anyone else should be set free or moved to low security prison farms where they can become self-suporting.
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