Zimbabwe is poised to streamline the repatriation of foreign prisoners and bring home its own citizens serving time abroad, thanks to the government’s recent approval of the SADC Inter-State Protocol on the transfer of sentenced offenders.
The protocol, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa initially signed in August 2019, allows for a reciprocal agreement between countries regarding the completion of prison sentences.
The move aims to address the challenges of foreign nationals in Zimbabwean prisons and Zimbabweans imprisoned in the SADC region.
Speaking after a cabinet briefing, Information Minister Jenfan Muswere emphasized the protocol’s key function: to enable sentenced offenders to serve the remainder of their sentences in their home countries.
This transfer, Muswere stated, will require consent and agreement between the sentencing nation and the administering state.
Zimbabwe’s immigration system faces a significant challenge, with many foreign nationals, primarily from neighboring countries, arrested while attempting to illegally cross into South Africa via Zimbabwe.
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As of October of last year, Harare remand prison alone held illegal immigrants who had been detained for over a decade, awaiting deportation. Immigration Chief Director Respect Gono reported in September 2024 that there were 368 jailed illegal immigrants, 274 awaiting deportation, 61 serving prison sentences, and 33 awaiting trial.
The implementation of this protocol will allow Zimbabwe to send back to their home countries foreign nationals currently serving time within its borders and bring home Zimbabweans sentenced in other SADC countries.
The transfer of sentenced offenders will occur upon request and with the agreement of both the sentencing and administering states, providing a structured path to address the issue of foreign nationals in Zimbabwean prisons and Zimbabwean citizens imprisoned abroad.
