Sinokubonga Nkala
Rutendo Nyeve, Sunday News Reporter
FOR 20-year-old Petros Mnyanyiwa, an inmate with speech and hearing impairments, the 15 years, slapped on him by a Gokwe magistrates court over a rape charge in 2023 seems to be a travesty of justice as he feels there was no adequate interpretation availed during trial.
Mnyanyiwa is currently serving an effective 10-year jail sentence at Khami Maximum Prison after he was convicted for raping an 18-year-old girl whom he claims was his girlfriend.
Sunday News caught up with Mnyanyiwa recently during the just-ended Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) Family Week that ran from Monday and ended yesterday.
The predicament of his disability did not end there, as communication barriers have seen him losing out from a rare opportunity to reconnect with his loved ones, share moments of joy and hope for reconciliation.
Mnyanyiwa not only longs to communicate with his relatives who are in South Africa, but also wants to benefit from prison rehabilitation programmes, get counselling and communicate his requests both to the prison wardens and fellow inmates.
Fortunately, his cell-mate, one 24-year-old Sipho Ncube has taken time to learn sign language from Mnyanyiwa and is now his interpreter.
In an interview, through Ncube, Mnyanyiwa revealed to Sunday News his ordeal and how he ended up in prison.
“My name is Sipho Ncube and I come from Plumtree. I came to prison after being charged and sentenced for rape. When I came to prison I did not know sign language but I took my time to learn the language from him in order to help him communicate,” said Ncube.
Using sign language, Ncube interpreted to the news crew as Mnyanyiwa told his story.
“I come from Gokwe district and the matter that led me to incarceration started when I lost my relatives who were my guardians. I was arrested and taken to court where I did not get an interpreter to explain to me the details of my case properly. I did not understand most of the things that transpired during my trial up until I was convicted.
“The girl in question was my girlfriend, and we were in love. However, what I heard is that the State argued how I could be in a relationship with someone who had no hearing or speech impairments, yet I had those impairments. I was then convicted and sentenced to 15 years. When I got to prison, they reduced my sentenced to 10 years, which I am currently serving and will be out in 2034,” said Mnyanyiwa through his interpreter Ncube.
Mnyanyiwa said he was born without any impairment but later developed the hearing and speech impairments as he grew and he believes if he is assisted with ear pods to aid his hearing, he might be relieved.
ZPCS Officer Commanding Bulawayo Province Commissioner Mkhunjulelwa Ngwenya said they are set to undertake a programme in which they will train officers in sign language in order to accommodate inmates with hearing and speech impairments.
“We are set to assist one inmate who is deaf through our recently introduced virtual communication system to be able to communicate with his relatives who are in South Africa through sign language.
“May I also state that we are having a bit of some communication challenges with such types of inmates, and so far we have a programme that is starting next year where we will be teaching our officers sign language, with the assistance of a partner who is based here in Bulawayo. We believe that way, we will include everyone and not leave any one behind,” said Comm Ngwenya.
In an interview with Sunday News, a hearing impairment specialist who spoke on condition of anonymity said due to the diversity of sign language, it is possible that the interpreter and Mnyanyiwa could have not been clearly understanding each other. She further advised prison officers and inmates around him to use alternative means of communications like visuals and writing. — @nyeve14
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