Zimbabwe has begun releasing nearly 4,000 inmates who were granted presidential amnesty in a bid to ease overcrowding in prisons.

The cabinet announced the amnesty in February on the same day it approved sweeping changes to the constitution to allow an extension of President Emmerson Mnangagwa's term until 2030.

"The nation should note that the release of the 3,978 beneficiaries begins today," Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi said at a press conference in the capital Harare on Monday.

Zimbabwe's prisons held over 24,000 inmates in the second quarter of 2025, according to recent available national data.

Vulnerable groups, rehabilitation

A total of 4,305 – including 223 women – will eventually be released, Ziyambi said, with the scheme "focusing on vulnerable groups and those who have demonstrated significant progress in their rehabilitation."

Among those freed was 23‑year‑old Tendai Chitsika, who had been serving a six‑month sentence for theft and was only two months away from completing it.

"It was a learning curve for me. I'm a changed person and I promise to do good out there," he told AFP at Harare Central Prison, adding: "I want to thank the president for this opportunity."

In the yard, hundreds of inmates sat divided into two groups. On one side were those still in their orange prison uniforms, destined to remain behind. On the other, men who had already changed into civilian clothes waited to be processed for release and return home.

'National compassion'

The presidential amnesty "reflects a profound commitment to restorative justice, national compassion and the strategic decongestion of correctional facilities", Ziyambi said.

The scheme did not include prisoners convicted of serious crimes such as murder, robbery, rape or "contravention of the Maintenance of Peace and Order Act."