Zimbabwean Senator says prisoners should be given sex toys to curb homosexuality

Senator Ms Sithembile Mlotshwa says prisoners in Zimbabwean jails should be given sex toys to curb homosexuality. She said prisoners can go without food and clothing as long as they satisfy their sexual needs. She urged the Government to forgo clothes and food and provide “sex gadgets” in prisons to curb homosexuality. She made the remarks when Justice and Legal Affairs Ministry officials appeared before the Parliamentary Thematic Committee on Gender and Development on Monday.

“Considering that some of the same-sex orientation (homosexuality) come from prisons and when those people are out they then spread that orientation, what measures are you putting in place to make sure that vice is stopped?” Sen Mlotshwa asked Acting Secretary for Justice and Legal Affairs Mr Maxwell Ranga. “In other countries they provide sex gadgets and they have also constructed rooms where people go and service themselves when the desire arises.” Mr Ranga said the ministry faced financial constraints which made it impossible to consider providing such gadgets. “If I am struggling to feed and clothe the prisoners, then how can I ask for gadgets?



“The money we get monthly isn’t enough to feed and clothe the prisoners. Improving the prison conditions will remain a dream if resources are not improved.” However, Sen Mlotshwa would have none of it, saying the ministry was trying to find an excuse for its failures. “We can’t say we don’t have money to feed and clothe prisoners because people can stay without food, but they want their sexual desires to be satisfied whether you like it or not. We can’t ignore and say we don’t have money so we won’t provide those gadgets. As the ministry, are you crying out loud so that the issues can be addressed?” Sen Mlotshwa queried.

She asked Mr Ranga if lack of resources also affected sentences meted out to offenders, saying it would be prudent for sentences to be reduced since Government could not provide some of the requirements. Mr Ranga said they were yet to hear of an African country that provided sex gadgets to inmates. “We can’t rush into a certain activity, we will have to carry out a study to see the positives and negatives of providing such gadgets and also to see if it can be implementable,” Mr Ranga said. Last year Sen Mlotshwa told fellow senators that the only avenue left to curb the spread of HIV among married people was by injecting husbands with an “immobiliser” to reduce their sexual desire.