Fifteen inmates at Banket, Mashonaland West province’s semi-open prison, have graduated in tobacco production, a development aimed at ensuring they are re-integrated into Zimbabwean society, according to a Voice of America story.
They have joined 179 other inmates who have benefited from the program since its inception in 2008.
The program was set up by the prison services in conjunction with the Tobacco Research Board.
Speaking at the 9th graduation ceremony, though the first at Mashonaland West, Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services deputy commissioner general, Moses Chihobvu, appealed to the government to employ the graduates, who are set to be released soon.
Chihobvu said admission to prison didn’t signify the end of the world but could be a way to identify one’s talent.
One of the prisoners, Monica Chirenje, said she was happy with the tobacco farming knowledge imparted to her.
She said she was now ready to face the world.
And ex-convict Mathias Mushambe, who was trained in tobacco production in 2013, was quoted as saying that his tobacco farming knowledge had spearheaded his acceptance back into society.
The only setback at the moment is that the government is not in a position to employ workers because of a lack of funds.