President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who was the Chief Witnessing Officer at the handover takeover of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) command, has challenged the in-coming Commissioner-General Moses Chihobvu to continue with reforms to transform the institution.
In his address at ZPCS Ntabazinduna training school, the President said the ongoing reforms that were initiated by the retiring commissioner, Retired Major General Paradzayi Zimondi must be the guiding campus for the new man at the helm of the institution.
The President said all prison farms must be productive, producing food and imparting life skills to inmates as well as modernising the training curriculum of correctional officers in line with global best practices.
“Commissioner-General Zimondi spearheaded agriculture production and productivity within our correctional facilities towards effective offender rehabilitation and reintegration.
“In addition, he was instrumental in revamping and improving the health delivery system across prisons in the country. By encouraging community and stakeholder participation, where the prison system moved from a closed institution to become an open system that greatly facilitated offender rehabilitation and integration.”
The President also called on the nation to embrace a culture of hard work and honesty, as the government has zero-tolerance to corruption.
In line with our value of achieving development through our resources, I encourage you to pursue construction projects to improve, upgrade and increase the infrastructure in our correctional facilities.
“I also call upon the nation to inculcate a culture of hard work, honesty and integrity within our society. I would also want to discourage all those who would want to undertake criminal activities. Crime does not pay and the long arm of the law will always catch up with you. Under the second Republic, justice will be pursued without fear or favour. Criminals must never be fooled, they will reap what they sow.”
The President also encouraged correctional officers to be humble, selfless and resolute in character even under difficult conditions.
