This video shared on X (formerly Twitter) claiming that 3000 Zimbabweans were released from prison is FALSE.
The footage shows people, mainly women coming out of Zimbabwe’s Chikurubi prison. The release moment was captured by the media who were interviewing the ex-convitees, of note was Yvone Musarurwa, a political activist.
The post sharing the footage alleges that Zimbabwe released mass prisoners after failing to feed them in prison.
“3 000 Zimbabwe prisoners released.. Zimbabwe cannot afford to feed them or keep them in prison. In a few days, they will be another 3 000 more headaches for South Africa,” reads the post.
The claim suggests that the released prisoners could end up in South Africa, therefore causing a burden to the country. This comes amidst the ongoing xenophobic attacks by South Africans to foreign nationals.
Were 3000 prisoners released in Zimbabwe?
Google reverse image search on a keyframe from the clip shows that the video is from 2018. Yvonne Musarurwa was released from Chikurubi Female Prison in March 2018 under a presidential amnesty order.
Her co-accused remained incarcerated until the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe overturned their convictions and acquitted them in June 2021. The video captures the 2018 Presidential amnesty when 3000 prisoners were released.
There is no evidence that Zimbabwe released 3,000 prisoners in September 2026. Media reports indicate that the country’s most recent mass prisoner release took place in March 2026, when nearly 4,000 inmates were released under a presidential amnesty aimed at easing overcrowding in the country’s prisons.
The Besana Mail called the Zimbabwe Prisons Correctional Services (ZPCS) which said they did not release any prisoners.
“There is no such mass release. It’s false and malicious. We last had the presidential amnesty in March. It’s just social media,” Senior Correctional Officer Silas Gwendo of Prison Public relations told The Besana Mail.
The Besana Mail examined a video shared on X claiming Zimbabwe released 3000 prisoners and found the claim to be FALSE.
This fact-check was produced by The Besana Mail as part of the African Fact-Checking Alliance’s (AFCA)incubation programme. It was produced with peer-mentorship from Code for Africa’s fact-checking initiative, PesaCheck, with financial support from Norway. AFCA mentorship respects the journalistic independence of the researchers, offering access to advanced techniques and tools. Editorial decision-making remains with The Besana Mail. Want to learn more? Visit: https://factcheck.africa/
