Over 117 prisoners on death row in Zimbabwe…. but no hangman

By Tendai Chara

HARARE – Convicted of armed robbery and murdering a Fairmile Motel Manager in Gweru in 2000, Cuthbert Tapuwanashe Chawira (45) is on death row at the Chikurubi Maximum Prison. Only one thing is keeping him from the gallows — there is no hangman.

No executions have been carried out for the past 12 years due to the unavailability of a hangman. Were it not for the unavailability of the hangman, some of the 117 prisoners on death row in Zimbabwe might have been executed by now.

Chawira has since appealed to the Constitutional Court to reverse his and 14 other prisoners’ death sentences. With the hangman’s job far from being a glamorous profession, it seems few people have risen to take up the post.

Zimbabweans are reportedly shunning the job.

The selection and recruitment process for a hangman has, however, been shrouded in mystery, raising questions on Government’s commitment to finding one.

For years now, this publication has been scouting the local media with the hope of coming across an advertisement for the job so as to understand its requirements but that has not happened. There hasn’t been any word on any interviews either.

Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa is on record stating that no-one will be executed in Zimbabwe. The VP has been at the forefront advocating for the removal of the death penalty from the country’s statutes.

Given the country’s high unemployment rate, and even the number of murders taking place (which indicate that there are many who could kill for a living), many people are baffled by the Government’s claim that it is failing to find someone for the job.

Mrs Olivia Zvedi, a law officer in the Attorney-General’s Office was quoted in The Herald saying Government is still looking for a hangman. She said the hangman’s job is not an easy one and people were shunning it.

“This is not a job that one can easily apply for. The State is also in a predicament on how to proceed in the absence of a hangman,” Mrs Zvedi was quoted saying.

Questions sent to Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary Mrs Virginia Mabhiza, regarding the perks and recruitment process for the hangman had not been responded to by the time of going to print.

Sekuru Friday Chisanyu, the president of the Zimbabwe National Practitioners Association (ZINPA) says Zimbabweans are not keen to take the job for cultural reasons. He said the indigenous African tradition is against the shedding of blood.

“In the indigenous African tradition, the death penalty is forbidden. The hangman will surely attract the wrath of the avenging spirits of those that he would have executed. It is for the simple reason that Zimbabweans are shunning this post,” Sekuru Chisanyu said.

Sekuru Chisanyu called for the scrapping of the death sentence, arguing that those that are convicted of serious crimes must be sentenced to life in prison.

“In my opinion, it is better to sentence one to life that to kill the person. If a person is in jail, that person can be made productive. Having the death sentence does not mean that murder cases will cease to exist,” Sekuru Chisanyu said.

Pastor Emmerson Fundira of the Jehovah Sharma Ministries said the death penalty should be scrapped. “The Bible is clear on this one — it instructs us not to kill. There is no reason why a human being should take the life of another being,” Pastor Fundira said.

Over the years, finding a hangman has often proved to be a tall order for many countries.
According to a BBC report, a newly recruited hangman in Sri Lanka resigned in shock after being shown the gallows for the first time. Sri Lanka has not carried out a judicial execution since 1976 but has over 400 prisoners on death row.

The report states that last year alone, three recruits abandoned the job within a year after the previous hangman was promoted to become a prison guard. Sri Lankans had responded well to the job advertisement with 176 applicants.

The BBC also reported that a former United States executioner is now leading a campaign for the scrapping of the death sentence saying doing so eases his “tremendous guilt”.

Allen Ault, who oversaw deaths via the electric chair in the late 1990s, claimed his campaign to prevent further executions was a way of finding “forgiveness”.

“When you realise … that you just murdered another human being and you were the one that gave the order, you feel totally responsible.” The Sunday Mail