(7) seven prisoners have been gunned down at Chikurubi Maximum Prison and authorities are battling to suppress the figures, ZimEye.com can reveal.
ZimEye.com which first broke the story as it happened early Friday afternoon, can exclusively reveal that the prisoners shot dead are those mainly from the prison’s C halls where armed police officers descended onto on their way from Harare Central.
They were shot dead by the police support unit called in to quell the rioting prisoners but they ended up over-reacting on the largely male inmates who were protesting being constantly served with sadza porridge and soup.
ZimEye.com can also reveal that a prison guard, Ascom Dhenya, was yesterday struck by a brick and sustained a fracture on his left leg. Other officers were also injured in the violent commotion as prisoners protested the inhumane food they are being fed with at the prison.
By Saturday morning the figure of the dead was nearing ten (10) after an additional two were confirmed dead.
But the prison’s spokesperson Elizabeth Banda-Karinda claimed that only one person was killed and even that same person was not shot but was crushed in a stampede.
“Unfortunately one prisoner died. He was caught up in the stampede and he wasn’t shot,” Elizabeth Banda said.
 
Beating to death
Prison cells were on Saturday morning smelling fresh blood as guards conducted beatings as punishment for the riot. Those singled out for rioting were separated into one cleared cell where they were being brutally beaten up at the time of writing.
 
Shocking Admission 
Banda however admitted that the police opened fire on the prisoners but said that the ammunition used was blank.
Banda-Karinda said the prisoners did not like the vegetables they were being served along with their sadza porridge.
The State Media said a “large number” of inmates were suffering from scurvy and pellagra, both linked to bad diet.
Some prisoners at Chikurubi tried to go on a hunger strike two weeks ago over the lack of food.
The seriously injured prisoners are being treated in hospital.
A commentator calling himself Zvakaoma wrote online: “They have the full right to protest. There are no blankets, no water and nothing at all.”
 
Prison bosses looting food.
The development comes as prison authorities led by ex army officer and ZANU PF member Paradzai Zimondi presided over massive looting of the prison’s resources. Sources told  ZimEye.com prison farms are in a desperate state as Zimondi and other senior bosses have been allegedly diverting not only prisoner manpower, but also

expensive equipment such as tractors and other tools to boost their personal farm properties, in a way that has seen the vast prison farm fields deprived so there is little food for the incarcerated. “This is what he does. Him and other bosses divert prisoner labour for their personal farms,” one of the sources said.