Harare - Zimbabwe's prison services will never allow condoms into the country's jails, despite the risk of Aids infection through homosexuality, a senior official said on Friday.
“Let me say a big yes, we know this activity (sodomy) takes place in our prisons,” deputy commissioner Agrey Machingauta was quoted as saying on state radio.
Under Zimbabwean prisons laws, “it is an offence and we actually have legal powers to try and punish (offenders),” he said.
“On the issue of condoms, we cannot issue them out until parliament passes legislation to legalise homosexuality,” he said.
He said if prisoners were caught, “we take corrective action,” but did not elaborate.
President Robert Mugabe has repeatedly condemned homosexuality, and describes gays as “worse than dogs and pigs,” although the country's gay movement, Gays and Lesbians of Zimbabwe, operates openly and runs Aids-prevention courses among gays. - Sapa-dpa