Spike in female inmate numbers at Gwanda Prison raises alarm

THE number of female inmates at Gwanda Prison has seen a concerning rise, from just two women on remand during the Family Week of December last year to nine convicted and three currently on remand.

This growing trend has left men in a quandary.

One such man is Godknows Nkomo who was left to look after his one-year six-month-old daughter after her mother, Thembelihle Mpofu, was convicted for dealing in drugs.

Nkomo’s major headache is the need to convince his wife to hire a maid which she has reservations for.

Today, Nkomo must summon all his charming powers to convince his wife after he was given time after the ZPCS family week kicked off at Gwanda prison.

From just observing from a distance what started as a tense situation eased as each minute passed.

“I love my wife but she left me with a little child and I need to go to work in the gold mines but she says I cannot look for a maid because I may end up marrying her. I am so happy that I was accorded this time to visit her and talk to her for a long time,” Thembelihle Mpofu’s husband, Godknows Nkomo said.

For other couples, the family week gave them hope and rekindled their love as demonstrated by constant holding hands, tears and escorting them to their cell’s entrance.

“I am so happy that I got to see the love of my life, we had missed her,” a spouse said.

“At least I got to tell my story to my grandmother,” an inmate said.

“I am so grateful to the government for setting up this day,” an inmate said.

With the growing number of female inmates, the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Service is tailor-making rehabilitation programmes meant to reintegrate prisoners back into society.

“We have noticed an increase in the number of female inmates, some for murder and others for dealing in drugs, so we are also coming up with rehabilitation programmes that will make it easier for them to be reintegrated into society. But generally, we are happy with the number of families coming to see their relatives in prison,” the Officer in charge of Gwanda Prison, Superintendent Ishmael Madzimbamuto said.

The ZPCS Family Week is meant to demystify what transpires behind the prison walls and help families integrate with their incarcerated relatives.