• FEMALE prisoners have said it is clear President Edgar Lungu’s vision was to improve the welfare of inmates.

By SYLVIA MWEETWA  and MARGARET MANGANI –
ADVOCACY for Good Governance Gender and Equity (AGE) justice has urged President Edgar Lungu to include more female prisoners on the list of those who are being pardoned.
Executive director Phillimon Phiri said that the ratio of female offenders as compared to male was 20-1 in most of the prisons.
Mr Phiri said female prisoners are likely to reform faster than male priosners so they should be considered more for pardon.
Speaking on behalf of others, Mary Namusokwe, not real name and seven others, who were the only female prisoners among the over 300 prisoners who were recently pardoned by the President, said the move to include them on the list was a welcome development.
“Just knowing that a rope has been lifted off our necks is enough reason for one to smile and not to lose trust, faith and hope in God,” these were the words of the eight women who had their sentences commuted from death sentence to life imprisonment recently in Kabwe.
Narrating her ordeal Mary said the move by President Lungu not to leave out women in his decision to commute the sentences came as a shock. She and others did not expect it. She narrated that being on death sentence they waited in suspense to be hanged by the neck as was pronounced by the courts of law.
The incarcerated women at Mukobeko Maximum Prison in Kabwe female section who could not hide their joy were full of praises for President Lungu.
They said words alone could not describe this development and that it was only God who could repay the Head of State for such a kind gesture.
“We have heard how some people have described he conditions of prisons as hell on earth but the worst hell on earth is to be kept in suspense and not knowing when the time of your  execution will come,” she said.
She  said the  commutation was the best news of the year and wished that President Lungu would have given them a chance to express themselves whilest in prison.
“We commend our President for not leaving out women when he reduced the sentences for over 300 inmates we can only describe him as a defender for the oppressed,” she said.
The women recalled how they were given false assurances and hope by some lawyers after they indicated their interest to appeal against the death sentence.
“For most of us we had lost hope because we remember how we used to line up to speak to lawyers on our desires to appeal to the Supreme Court because we felt that the sentences were  quite harsh,” she said.
The women said the President had done what other leaders failed to do in a short period of time that he has been in office.
They paid glowing tribute for his love and care whcih he has continued to show to prisoners in the country.
The women said Mr Lungu could be best be described as a caring and loving father and appealed to him to continue working towards improving conditions of living.
The female prisoners were also quick to praise the leadership of Prisons Commissioner General Percy Chato .
Mr Chato has from time to time visited them and offered support and encouragement to them.
The female convicts said in an interview in Kabwe recently that the Head of State’s move clearly showed that he was used by God.
The women said the burden of knowing that they were no longer on death sentence as they were now on life imprisonment was a great relief and appealed to President Lungu to continue with his fatherly heart.
Some of the female prisoners said they have stayed for over five years but their cases have not be heard in the Supreme Court despite appealing against both convictions and sentences.
“We are at loss of words because some of our friends here were queuing up to be heard by lawyers who gave fake promises and hope over our situations. All these assurances were mere talk but our President has done it for us in less than a year he has been President,” they said.
The female convicts also added their voice in praising President Lungu’s move to elevate Mr Chato to the position of Commissioner General.
And Chairperson for Prisons Fellowship Paul Swala has asked prisoners and well-meaning Zambians to pray for President Lungu who was currently being attacked by those opposed to his gesture to commute the sentences.
He said it was clear that President Lungu’s vision was to better the condition of prisoners.
“It is very that the Head of State has a vision of giving hope to the condemned and rejected people in prisoners and that was the reason why he should be given the support by all loving Zambians because every person is a potential prisoner,” he said.
Home Affairs Minister Davis Mwila recently advised prisoners, who were pardoned and those having their sentences reduced, to ontinue exhibiting good behaviour.
Mr Mwila further asked the public to accept those who have been released as they are integrated into society and avoid stigmatisation.
“I want to take his opportunity to advise some of our colleagues whose sentences were reduced to be ambassadors of good behaviour and make use of the skills acquired in prisons to better themselves,” he said
He said that incarceration was not the end of the world and that inmates should remain hopeful that their prayers would be answered one day.
“I want to advise those who have been released into society and those whose sentences have been reduced to continue exhibiting good behaviour. They should be ambassadors of peace,” he said.
The Minister said prisoners should seriously embrace the skills training in tailoring, carpentry, bricklaying, electronics, mechanic, among others. Mr Mwila reaffirmed the PF government’s support towards inmates.
It is clear that words alone could not express how grateful the incarcerated women were after President Lungu visited the Mukobeko Maximum Prison.