via Zimbabwe prison service plans to double workforce – official | The Source June 3, 2014
The Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) says it will more than double its workforce to 22,000 in what would be the biggest recruitment drive of recent years at a time when the government is struggling to pay its workers.
Zimbabwe’s prison population was around 15,000 against carrying capacity of 17,000, according to official 2013 data, although rights groups put the figure at about 23,000. A presidential pardon freed 2,000 inmates in February this year.
The Zimbabwe Prison Services was renamed to incorporate the correctional element in August last year in line with the new constitution, with a brief to rehabilitate inmates as productive citizens upon their release.
Chief Superintendent Zonai Cleopas Nyatsanza, responsible for administration in Manicaland, said the new remit means that ZPCS will have to recruit to perform to required standards.
ZPCS has 10,000 employees, but will bump that number to 22,000 by recruiting ‘gradually,’ Nyatsanza said, adding to the state’s current workforce of 235,000 employees.
“Our workforce is expected to double from the current staff we have. We are looking to have a total force of about 22,000,” he told The Source.
Nyatsanza said under its new organisational structure, ZPCS will have to set up provincial command structures, which require more staff.
The state is already the largest employer as Zimbabwean companies, who are grappling with cash shortages, regular power cuts, high cost of borrowings and demand for higher wages are either downsizing or closing shop.
In 2012, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (Zimstat) said only 11 percent of Zimbabweans were employed in the formal sector, but that figure is likely to be lower after hundreds of companies closed shop since then due to worsening economic fundamentals.
Treasury is already struggling to pay its workers and has deferred pay dates twice this year.
COMMENTS
All hot air. Don’t raise people’s hopes for nothing. The is no money, so you can not employ anyone.
ho ho ho hit the nail right on the head!
Some of the prisons have no running water as they have been disconnected due to non payment, they have a chronic shortage of food and are unable to take the prisoners to court, due to lack of funds. how do they plan to pay these extra staff. ?
The US Federal Penetentary system, which is probably one of the most secure in the entire world, has a ration of about 4.5 prisoners per employee. If the government of Zimbabwe were making any effort run the prisons efficiently, then even with 23,000 prisoners, they should only need about 5,100 employees. What are the other 5,000 current employees doing to earn their keep? What will those 12,000 new employees do? Sounds like they are just more ghost workers.
@DL, good point. It’s interesting to see that the current workforce that ZPCS has got should be able to cater for between 40,000 and 50,000 inmates by international standards and yet it has only 15,000.
This new number should be queried because already the ZPCS is ridiculously overstaffed. Half the people there are doing nothing.
They should trim the workforce and use the money saved on the inmates themselves so that they really become correctional in practise. All this when Bob is sleeping on the job.
Sorry, meant to say “ratio of about 4.5 prisoners per employee.”
Maybe they are planning for mass arrests when Mugabe dies.
The reason why they are beefing up the prison service to an astonishing 22,000 officers is NOT to improve service or conditions in the correctional services. No. Expect to see more living skeletons from Chikurubi. They are just strengthening the oppressive armed machinery, which includes the army, police, air force, CIO and other clandestine units.
ZANU PF may blunder in economic organization, and so forth, but there is one area vital area where it acutely realises the basis of its survival – the armed forces.
Officially the number of defence force personnel is estimated to be around 40,000, but the actual figure must be around 100,000. At a time of severe economic austerity, the regime has been recruiting more soldiers, policemen, intelligence personnel, etc. The main reason for this is to protect Mugabe and his henchmen from insurrection – civil or military.
The other one is psychological. Just look anywhere in the towns and cities and the chances are that you will see a soldier, police or prison officer in full uniform, which of course translates into fear. And then there is the ever fearful presence of the dreaded CIO, and you have all the ingredients of a state built and sustained by FEAR. And it is fear that have driven Zimbabweans into exile and cowed those back home.
The ZANU PF mafia may be dumb in all other things, but they know one thing for sure – you have to have guns, goons and gold (the diamond, platinum mines, etc.) to continue plundering and partying. Hit the goons,get the gold and the whole oppressive, corrupt structure will crumble. Ko hamusi kuzviona here? Chiiko nhai? Murikuda kubopwa semombe here? Why are you silent and timid like sheep being led to slaughter?
Recruit tipinde zvedu tiripwe kugara