Thousands of Zimbabwean prisoners to walk free under clemency initiative

By Mapaballo Borotho

Ten arrested for drug manufacturing worth R5 million in Johannesburg — Image | Adobe Stock

More than 4,000 prisoners in Zimbabwe are expected to be released in 2026 under a presidential clemency initiative.
The programme targets vulnerable inmates, including women, juveniles, elderly prisoners, terminally ill inmates and people living with certain disabilities.
However, prisoners convicted of serious offences including murder, rape, armed robbery and human trafficking are excluded.

At least 4,000 Zimbabwean prisoners are expected to be released from correctional facilities across the country under a clemency initiative approved by President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The initiative will see more than 4,000 inmates released in 2026 as part of efforts to decongest Zimbabwe’s correctional facilities.

According to media reports, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi described the move as a step towards reform and compassion.

“This executive action reflects a profound commitment to restorative justice, national compassion, and the strategic decongestion of correctional facilities to ensure they remain centres of rehabilitation rather than mere places of punishment,” he said.

Ziyambi said the initiative focuses on vulnerable groups and inmates who have shown significant progress in their rehabilitation.

All convicted female inmates qualify for remission of the remainder of their sentences, except those convicted of specified serious crimes.

Juvenile offenders who were under the age of 18 at the time of the order are also eligible, with their age verified through birth records or medical assessments where necessary.

The initiative also extends to inmates aged 60 and above who have completed at least one-third of their sentences.

Prisoners who have been certified as terminally ill by the government will also be released.

Those who are visually impaired or living with disabilities that cannot be adequately managed within prison facilities are also included.

Additionally, inmates housed in open prisons and those who have served at least 20 years, including prisoners whose death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment, fall within the qualifying categories.

Ziyambi assured that public safety remains a priority, with certain serious offences excluded from the clemency initiative.

Inmates convicted of crimes such as murder, treason, carjacking, robbery and armed robbery, rape and other sexual offences are not eligible.

The exclusion list also covers violations of laws including the Electricity Act, Copper Act, Railways Act and Postal and Telecommunications Act.

Offences related to human trafficking, public violence and breaches of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act are also excluded.

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