Prisons Chief Outlines Five-Year Development Plan for Midlands Correctional Service

Gweru, Zimbabwe - The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) Midlands Province has finalized a new five-year strategic roadmap aimed at transforming correctional facilities into hubs of industrial production and self-sufficiency, officials said on Tuesday.

The 2026–2030 Provincial Strategic Plan, unveiled during a high-level summit at the Whawha Complex, aligns the region’s correctional operations with Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and the national goal of achieving an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.

ZPCS' CO3, Isheanesu Marima from the Midlands Province Public Relations Office, said the meeting was chaired by the Officer Commanding ZPCS Midlands Province, Commissioner Somemore Gate.

Marima said the summit brought together provincial heads of sections and senior officers to synchronize regional goals with the vision of Zimbabwe President, Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa.

In his opening address, Commissioner Gate said correctional services must evolve beyond simple detention to become a "critical cog in the national development matrix," Marima said.

"Correctional services must remain an integral part of national progress through purposeful planning and disciplined execution," Gate told the delegation, stressing that all provincial frameworks must mirror the NDS2 guidelines to ensure institutional relevance.

Following the policy briefing, the delegation conducted an inspection of the Whawha Complex to assess progress on several massive infrastructure and agricultural projects.

The tour covered agribusiness including cattle ranching, dairy operations, piggery and commercial gardening.

The Commissioner also toured infrastructure under construction which include a provincial cold room, a new secondary school and repairs to storm-damaged housing at Whawha Medium Prison.

The development of the Riverdale Recreational Park, which is being positioned as a tourism destination to generate institutional revenue was part of the list.

A particular highlight of the tour was the Confartex Bakery. ZPCS noted that the facility, currently the only bakery operated by the prisons service, was lauded for its profitability and its role in rehabilitation.

The bakery provides inmates with certified baking skills, which are intended to reduce recidivism, or repeat offending,  by improving post-release employment prospects.

The draft plans, presented by the Chairperson of the Strategic Planning Committee, Superintendent Taisoni Manatsa, were subjected to rigorous review, Marima said.

The committee reached a consensus to embed an organisational culture of production, innovation and entrepreneurship into all future planning.

The shift is designed to ensure the ZPCS remains sustainable while contributing directly to the national food and manufacturing sectors, the institution said.

Closing the session, Commissioner Gate warned officers that the 2026–2030 period would be productive and demanding.

He called for a foundation of discipline and patriotism to meet the ambitious targets of the five-year cycle.