While the death penalty is still legal, the country has not
carried out executions since the hanging of Stephen Chidhumo and Edgar
Masendeke in July 2005.
Sixty-six inmates are presently on death row.
Under Section 48 (2) of the Constitution, capital
punishment for murder committed in aggravating circumstances is limited to
males aged between 21 and 70 years.
Women are, however, exempted.
President Mnangagwa, who survived the hangman’s noose on a
technicality before independence for acts of sabotage, has reiterated that Zimbabwe
should abolish the death penalty.
Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent
Secretary, Mrs Virginia Mabiza, said the majority of applicants who expressed
interest in taking up the job of an executioner in the past were mainly males,
with two females throwing their names in the hat.
She, however, said stakeholders were presently engaged in
discussions on the way forward regarding the death penalty.
“In the past, we have been overwhelmed with applications
for the post of hangman, but, because of the de facto moratorium that we have
had for more than a decade, it has not been necessary to employ anyone. At the
moment, it (the hangman’s post) is not an issue because the real discussion is
centred around the abolition of the death penalty,” Mrs Mabiza said, adding
that ideally the post should not be a full-time job for “obvious reasons”.
Today, out of 195 United Nations member-states, only 55
still have the death penalty, while 15 of the 54 African countries carry out
executions.
In addition, only one of the 16 Southern African Development
Community (SADC) member-states, Botswana, metes out capital punishment.
Death row inmates who spoke to The Sunday Mail said they
continue to experience trauma, which comes with the uncertainty of when they
will be executed.
Murewa-born Benard Chiwenga (71), who was convicted of
murdering a woman in 2015, said the uncertainty of when he will appear before
the hangman was affecting his sanity.
“I can’t eat, bathe or clean my cell. I even turned
violent. Whenever I hear someone touching my cell door, I scream. Even when
there is cleaning going on, I begin to think that this is my last day,” he
said.
Another death row inmate, 41-year-old Doesmatter Vhore, who
was convicted of killing four white farmers, claims he was wrongfully
convicted, although overwhelming evidence was presented against him during
trial.
“At night, I don’t sleep; if I hear the sound of footsteps
or keys, I begin to think death has finally come. Some inmates who have been
here for long say when your time to die has come, they (prison officers) will
come to pick you up around 3am,” Vhore said.
ZPCS public relations officer, Chief Superintendent Meya
Khanyezi, said the institution rehabilitates all inmates without
discrimination.
In a recent interview with The Herald, Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi noted that the death penalty can
only be abolished through an amendment of the Constitution following a
referendum.
He said the motion to amend Section 48 (2) can reasonably
be triggered by the representative of the people in the National Assembly after
a signed petition from the public. Sunday Mail
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