Opposition MDC activist, Paddington Japajapa who was convicted of inciting public violence and sentenced to three years in jail in July this year has lamented over the sorry state of cells at the Harare Central Prison where he was for months until he was freed on bail in August.
Japajapa narrated his experience in prison to New Zimbabwe revealing that the situation in local prisons jeopardised the safety of inmates. He added:
At Harare Central Prison, the rights of detainees are not being respected at all.
Imagine 40 years after independence, we are still using the bucket system, and when it comes to water, we were given less than 4 litres for drinking, bathing and washing clothes per day.
His sentiments on the state of cells and the importance of improving them resonate with those of Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi who however claimed that the country was currently meeting the expected standards.
The government reportedly turned down offers by some jailed political elites including Munyaradzi Kereke who allegedly offered to fund chicken rearing projects saying that it would be difficult on their part to effectively deliver the deserved punishment once they received some aid from them.
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