SOME top prison officers in Chinhoyi are under investigation for allegedly diverting food meant for inmates to feed their chickens.
BY NUNURAI JENA
According to sources, one officer (name withheld) was last month caught red-handed by his juniors stealing maize meal for inmates and was reported to the officer in charge who launched investigations.
The racket, which is believed to be involving a number of officers, has allegedly been going on for some time now, the sources said.
“The issue came to light when one of the officers saw two bags of concentrate chicken feed in the ration room and later that afternoon four bags were loaded into the prison vehicle at the instruction of the named officer. But the driver of the vehicle alerted other officers who were fed up with the thefts,” said the source.
The officers would allegedly mix concentrate chicken feed with prisoners’ maize meal in the ration room.
One of the implicated officers allegedly went on a witch hunt and tried to influence the transfer of junior officers who had reported him to the officer in charge.
The officer was also involved in another case where he was allegedly renting out rooms at his government house. Chinhoyi Prison Officer in Charge Petronella Mupemhi confirmed the incidents.
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“Yes, I heard about it and I summoned him and asked him why he was keeping his maize meal in prisoners’ ration room before I stopped him using the ration room to keep his personal items,” Mupemhi said.
“On the issue of renting out government premises, I instructed that he demolishes the temporary structure that had been constructed.”
Prisons sources said officials in Harare were now investigating some of the allegations after an anonymous letter was written accusing some Chinhoyi prison officers of taking prisoners’ food, renting out government houses and making advances to junior officers’ wives.
They said prisoners were being starved by greedy officers who were stealing the already insufficient food fed to inmates.
