By Tapiwa Chawagarira
MUTARE — The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Manicaland Province scooped 15 awards at the Manicaland Agricultural Show, which ended in Mutare on Saturday, showcasing the Service’s growing contribution to rehabilitation, skills development, and economic empowerment.
ZPCS won the first prize for the Best Security Services Sector Stand, while Phakamani secured first prizes in three household categories, special prizes in three other household categories, and a second prize in another household category.
The Service also collected silver awards for Best in Crocheting and Best in Garment Making, as well as a bronze award in Crocheting. It further received recognition for Best Household Participant and a gold award for Best Crocheting.
In the livestock section, ZPCS won a bronze award for Beef Cattle and a silver award for Best in Piggery, further demonstrating the diversity of production activities being undertaken within the correctional system.
Held from October 1 to 3, the agricultural show provided ZPCS with an opportunity to showcase its rehabilitation and skills-development programmes under the theme, “From Corrections to Connections: Building Industries Behind and Beyond the Walls.”
The exhibition highlighted how inmates are being equipped with practical skills that can support their reintegration into society and enable them to participate meaningfully in the economy after release.
Among the initiatives showcased were building brigades, Chibuku Neshamwari competitions, and the production and sale of horticultural products, reflecting efforts to move correctional services beyond incarceration towards rehabilitation, productivity, and self-reliance.
Correctional Officer Grade One Charinge Zvikombore of Mutare Prison Farm, who was part of the ZPCS exhibition team, said successful reintegration could produce skilled artisans, farmers, and artists capable of creating employment and contributing to economic growth.
The awards therefore recognised not only the quality of products and exhibits presented by ZPCS, but also its broader rehabilitation philosophy of equipping inmates with skills and practical experience they can use beyond the prison environment.
Through such programmes, ZPCS continues to position correctional institutions as centres for skills development and production while creating opportunities for inmates to acquire competencies that can enhance their prospects for successful reintegration into communities.
