Mnangagwa grants reprieve for death row inmates

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has effectively commuted death row inmates' sentences to life‚ as part of a presidential pardon to 3‚000 inmates in Zimbabwe's overcrowded prisons.

"Commutation of the death sentence to life imprisonment is hereby granted to all prisoners who have been on death row for ten years and above‚" he said.

In January 2018 there were 99 death row inmates in Zimbabwe‚ with one of them being a woman - Yvonne Musarurwa‚ an MDC-T activist jailed for killing a police officer‚ Inspector Peter Mutedza‚ in 2013 before that year's general elections.

As part of the clemency‚ all female inmates will be released - including Musarurwa.

Zimbabwe last carried out an execution in 2005.

Zimbabwe last carried out an execution in 2005. Former president Robert Mugabe last year revealed that his cabinet was divided on the issue - and that Mnangagwa disagreed with him.

"We have different views on this matter even in our Cabinet and even among the three of us (presidium)‚ myself I want them killed while (Vice-President Emmerson) Mnangagwa wants leniency. (Vice-President Phelekezela) Mphoko hasn’t divulged his thoughts on this matter‚” Mugabe said‚ before warning that he would resume executions.

Part of the reason why there have been no executions for 18 years is that the previous hangman retired in 2006.

There has been interest from both men and women for the hangman's job as the country suffers high unemployment, but no one has been hired yet.

Mnangagwa himself was saved from the hangman’s noose at the age of 17 by a Catholic priest‚ Father Emmanuel Ribeiro during the colonial era.

Mnangagwa was sentenced to death for bombing a railway line in Masvingo in 1962.

His former boss‚ Mugabe‚ last week in an interview with the media‚ referred to how he also helped save Mnangagwa from the gallows‚ implying that by taking power through military assistance‚ Mnangagwa was not being grateful.