Zimbabwe: Prisons Have No Food for Babies - Report

 Food for Babies

Zimbabwe's Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) is reportedly failing to feed appropriate food to babies of jailed mothers as it is "receiving inadequate budgetary from treasury allocations".

According to New Zimbabwe.com, deputy officer commanding the Harare metropolitan province, Elizabeth Banda, said that the babies were being fed what their jailed mothers were eating.

"We have not been able to follow the statutory instrument which provides for the kind of food for children. They have been eating what their mothers are eating. We are operating at zero budget from the treasury," Banda was quoted as saying.

The ZPCS accommodated around 100 babies born at different prison facilities across the country. Banda said that the prison facilities in the capital Harare also lacked other basic necessities such as ambulances, blankets and transport to ferry prisoners to appear at their various court cases. 

According to reports, Zimbabwe, which has been been ruled by long-time leader Robert Mugabe since 1980, last year had a prison population of about 20 000.

However, about six months ago the southern African country pardoned 2 000 prisoners to make space in its overcrowded jails.