Hundreds apply for hangman’s job in Zimbabwe, but ‘there’s no vacancy’

Harare, Wednesday

Zimbabwe’s Justice and Legal Affairs ministry has dismissed reports that the country has failed to recruit a hangman since 2005, after several people rushed to hand in their applications for the supposedly vacant post.

The ministry has said there is no opening for the job and instead blamed the cabinet for “sitting” on requests to carry out executions since last year.

“I was shocked to receive applications by several nationals who wanted to be employed as hangmen,” the acting permanent secretary in the ministry, Mr Maxwell Ranga, said.

“Some applications were frightening as others plainly admitted they were killers.

Good at killing

“Some indicated they were good at killing and that they should be considered for the post, which we have not advertised.”

Reports had last week indicated that senators had reached their tether’s end following the failure by the government to recruit a new hangman, a situation that has left 55 convicts on death row, some for up to 13 years.

The senators went on to accuse the government of not being keen enough in searching for a candidate to fill the vacancy.

But Mr Ranga said President Robert Mugabe’s cabinet was responsible for delaying executions.

“The issues are not about a hangman,” he told the state-owned Herald newspaper. “Cabinet is holding on to the papers we sent in respect of the execution of the 55 convicts.

“There is a thinking that the new constitution might abolish the death penalty and I think that can be the reason why they have decided to defer execution.”

The ministry sends the execution papers to the cabinet after the high court and supreme court have recommended capital punishment.

Zimbabwe is currently re-writing its supreme law and during public hearings to elicit for people’s views, there have been strong calls to scrap capital punishment.

Mr Ranga said they had never advertised for a hangman as they currently had one who was ready for duty whenever the paper work was in order.

Paid for every execution

“Although we cannot disclose his identity, he is paid for every execution and actually works as a permanent employee elsewhere.

“He cannot be permanent with us because people are not executed daily,” he said.

One of the convicts had told senators he felt as if he was being killed every day since he did not know the day he would be executed.

Mr Ranga said that should the new constitution abolish capital punishment, the prisoners’ death sentences could be commuted to life imprisonment.

The senators had also expressed concern at the state of Zimbabwe’s prisons, which they said were overcrowded.