Rehabilitation Through Forgiveness: ZPCS Embraces Healing Model in Bulawayo

By Everisto Zhuwao

The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) has intensified efforts to strengthen inmate rehabilitation through emotional healing, with a renewed focus on forgiveness as a transformative tool.

Deputy Officer Commanding for Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Assistant Commissioner Priscilla Mtembo, urged ZPCS management to embrace healing through forgiveness as a critical pillar of rehabilitation. She made the remarks while officiating at a three-day Healing Through Forgiveness (HTF) workshop held on 20 February 2026 at Khami Complex in Bulawayo.

Assistant Commissioner Mtembo said ZPCS’ mandate goes beyond custody and control, emphasising that correctional facilities house men and women burdened by deep pain, anger, regret, and broken relationships.

“In Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, we have seen firsthand how unresolved emotional wounds manifest themselves,” she said. “We see it in repeated offending, violence among inmates, resistance to authority, and sometimes complete hopelessness. An inmate who is angry at the world, family, or himself struggles to engage meaningfully in any rehabilitation programme, whether vocational training, education, or counselling. This is why the Healing Through Forgiveness Programme is so important and timely.”

She stressed that reintegration must deliberately include forgiveness to prepare both offenders and victims for successful re-entry into society.

“Forgiveness is not weakness. Forgiveness is strength. It is the ability to confront pain, acknowledge it, and wisely choose a different path. When an inmate learns to forgive—whether it is forgiving a parent, spouse, or a victim—something powerful happens,” she said.

Assistant Commissioner Mtembo noted tangible improvements witnessed in facilities where emotional healing is prioritised.

“We have seen inmates who were once hostile begin to communicate. We have seen strained family relationships slowly restored. We have seen discipline improve, cooperation increase, and a renewed sense of purpose emerge. These are real, practical outcomes that support safer institutions and better reintegration outcomes,” she said.

She commended River of Life Church for partnering with ZPCS in implementing the programme, saying rehabilitation requires a collective effort. She also appealed to Pastor Raphet Nyirenda to extend similar workshops to other community groups, including couples and single parents, as well as to more inmates across the province.

“The workshop that you have brought into this province has benefited most of the participants present here today, and I hope this programme is not only going to benefit these participants, but also single parents and inmates who need help. I hope, at the end of the day, this programme is going to create safer communities that we all need as a nation,” she added.

The three-day workshop drew 46 participants, including 27 officers and 19 students on attachment from stations across Bulawayo Metropolitan Province.

The initiative reflects growing regional interest in correctional reforms, with institutions such as the Namibian Correctional Service, Zambia Correctional Service, and Ghana Prisons Service also increasingly focusing on rehabilitation models that promote safer communities through restorative approaches.