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Zimbabwe’s prisoners are suffering untold horrors in Zimbabwe’s jails. The State is locking them up in hell-holes, condemning them to slow starvation and possible death from nutrition-related illnesses or the vast array of other diseases they are exposed to through unhygienic conditions. Despite terrible desperation, their position as ‘prisoners’ means they are denied the most basic human instinct and that is to fight for survival: inmates can’t beg for food from passers-by, they can’t forage for wild berries in the bush, and they can’t rummage through dustbins for waste food. Because of this, Zimbabwe’s prisons constitute a unique and especially cruel form of torture that has both physical and psychological impacts on the people affected.

In October last year, the Zimbabwe Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the Offender (ZACRO) released a report noting that there are 55 prisons in Zimbabwe (including satellites), with the capacity to hold 17 000 inmates. But in October 2008 it was estimated that more than 35 000 people were in jail. Extreme hunger, inhumane squalid conditions, exposure to a variety of diseases and stripping people of their dignity are standard practices in Zimbabwe’s jails, resulting in shameful misery hidden away from the public gaze behind high walls and razor wire.

This article will show that conditions in the prisons have been steadily deteriorating for years. Those in charge of the prisons – Prisons Commissioner, Paradzai Zimondi, and Patrick Chinamasa, the Minister of Justice – are directly responsible for hundreds of lives lost as a direct result of inhumane neglect.

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This Tuesday at 9.30pm SABC TV3’s investigative programme Special Assignment takes you into Zimbabwe’s prisons – which have become virtual death traps for prisoners.

This exclusive, never before been seen video images, were captured following an intensive three month investigation into the Zimbabwean prison system.

The officials filmed day-to-day events inside prison on hidden cameras. The result is a grim picture of a huge humanitarian crisis within the penal system.

Inside we meet a man who is half way through his two year sentence for housebreaking… and it seem unlikely that he will make if out of there. The camera follows him around as he shuffles from his cell to a room where he receives a bowl of sadza-a thick porridge made from maize meal. Like many others he is also suffering from pellagra-a deficiency disease caused by a lack of vitamin B3 and proteins.

According to a report by the Zimbabwean Association for Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation of the offender (ZACRO), at least 20 prisoners are dying each day across the country’s 55 institutions.

Some of the prisoners featured in the programme have already died and others, like the man mentioned earlier, are on the brink of death.

“Hell Hole” was produced by Executive Producer Johann Abrahams and Godknows Nare.

Please spread the word. Please continue to alert everyone to the food crisis in Zimbabwe’s prisons and ask people to do what they can to help.

Generally speaking business has welcomed the new budget from the Minister of Finance as he attempts to halt the rapid economic meltdown whilst bringing about some stability and confidence.

Restrictions are slowly being lifted in an attempt to allow market forces to determine prices and values across the private sector.

The use of the Zim Dollar has been frozen but all recognized foreign currencies will remain legal tender until large scale support for the financial sector is forthcoming. These incentives are balanced against demands for transparency and responsibility in business dealings as government brings all players into a single economy.

At the same time, public utilities are bringing their charges into line with the region. The Stock Exchange is recovering albeit modestly and share prices appear to be within reach of the JSE.

Some large mines have announced plans to re-open as they respond to the stimulus offered by the Minister of Finance.

Cash flow remains critical. The small amount of forex reserves available in banks, is denying those that wish to re-capitalize the opportunity, in order to compete against imports.

People in Zimbabwe need to realise this is a bankrupt state and that they can’t just expect to be paid ridiculous sums of money. Why? Because there is no foreign exchange.

During the struggle for democracy over the last nine years, it was always believed the economy would bring Zanu PF to its knees.

Now that the MDC has joined the AIG, Zanu PF has successfully brought the MDC into its stable of blame, shifting the burden of their corruption and looting onto the former-opposition’s shoulders.

The people of Zimbabwe had better brace themselves for further hardship as there is damning economic evidence that some of the major institutions within the overtraded banking industry face collapse, without any security net for the little wealth Zimbabweans have entrusted to them.

We thought 90% unemployment was high; wait for it…

The NSSA (National Social Security Authority) is now demanding 4% contribution from both employee and employer of gross income.

There is no ceiling on contribution; regardless of what you earn, it is 4%.  The NSSA is in breach of regulations as laid down by national commissioner of pension funds and cannot account for the funds contributed in the past.

The NSSA is broke.

It cannot even afford to pay its own staff.  Its contributory demands are unaffordable by the PVT and public sector. It negatively contributes to export competitivity at  time when the entire economy needs to maintain and improve local competitiveness, particularly considering the state of the global economy.

The reality is that 60 – 70% of all institutions in Zimbabwe have refused to make these contributions.

What little is left of the NSSA is headed for total collapse.  Well done Zanu PF.  They have stolen pension money; is this a breach of human rights?

Some of the insightful comments left on the post ‘Irked by the Merc perk!‘ have succeeded in spurring my grumpiness over this issue to even greater heights.

Euan Nisbet advised us that when Gordon Brown (Prime Minister of the UK) was Finance Minister, he drove a four year old Vauxhall Omega – pictured above.

So the scenario we have is one where a Mercedes driving Finance Minister of a bankrupt, unstable, undemocractic, country goes to his Vauxhall driving equivalent in a much larger more successful democratic wealthy country – to ask for money.

Come on! How can this be right?

In my view, it is probably no coincidence that politicians who prize status over substance just happen to be representatives of failed states. Is there a lesson about democracy somewhere in all this for our politicians and for us?

I would really love to know what cars MPs in other country’s drive. If you know, please leave the info in the comments below. (more…)

MR. SPEAKER, Sir, Cabinet Ministers, Honorable Members of Parliament I rise to make my maiden speech in this august House.

We are at a stage in our country where we are building bridges. We are at that juncture where we have found each other. We have come together; we must stay together, work together and deliver on the promise of our revolution. This is national interest time.

We have embarked on an irreversible process of inclusiveness with the clear understanding that the GPA of 15th September 2008 is the only workable arrangement in our country. There is unprecedented unanimity among our citizens on this position. Mr. Speaker, Sir, this was clearly amplified by the vote in this august house for Constitutional Amendment No. 19, where 184 out 184 members endorsed it, and the 72 out of 72 Senators did the same.

As I present my views, let me emphasize that my intention is to build, and not to destroy; unify, and not disunite. However, I will seek to challenge us as Zimbabweans by speaking frankly on the matters we are facing. Is it not that they say a problem realized is half solved? Moreover this august house is the distinguished arena of both rational disputation and robust democratic dialogue. Consequently, I will be remiss in the discharge of my duties if I did not deliver a no-holds-barred maiden speech.

There will be no prisoners taken today. (more…)

We’ve received information from a credible source that Gideon Gono purchased a fleet of vehicles prior to Tendai Biti imposing new regulations on the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ). We’ve been told that there are four parking lots in Harare that are already filled brand new luxury vehicles.

We wonder what their purpose is?

The one good thing Tendai Biti has done is remove the 5 – 7.5% retention by the RBZ of export proceeds and all forex transactions. This money was previously used to fund the RBZ. (more…)