By Fidelis Manyange

TO some, being convicted and sentenced for years in prison may seem the end of the world. But for Reginald Marimba Chinyanga, it’s a different story altogether as he now better understands the ‘correctional’ role of the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS). “My stint in prison moulded me into the artist that I am today,” says Chinyanga, the younger sibling to former Studio 263 actor Nevernay Chinyanga, aka Muwengwa.

Chinyanga is a sculptor who dabbles in ‘mixed media’, an art form which specialises in the use of a variety of recycled raw materials. Some sculptors confine themselves to stone or wood while others add different materials to transform their works into truly ‘mixed media’ works of art. Using waste products such as leftover sadza, wires salvaged from discarded tyres, cardboard boxes, planks and broken umbrellas, among others, Chinyanga has been able to come up with beautiful pieces of art. The sculptor was introduced to this art form while serving an 18-year jail sentence. His first piece of art was an image of a lion constructed from waste paper, leftover sadza and cement. Born in Mt Darwin, Chinyanga was raised in Murehwa, Uzumba.

He was convicted of rape in 2018 and sentenced to 18 years but served only six of them before he was released on a Presidential pardon in 2024. On April 17 2024, President Emmerson Mnangagwa granted amnesty to over 4 000 prisoners as part of a clemency order aimed at decongesting overcrowded prisons and marking the country’s 44th independence commemorations. Although Chinyanga claims his arrest was instigated by jealousy fellow Apostolic sect leaders in Epworth where he lives, court documents tell a different story. A self-styled prophet, Chinyanga was convicted of raping a 19-year-old congregant during a cleansing ceremony.

Prosecutor Valerie Ngoma urged the court to impose a stiff penalty to deter would-be rapists from committing similar offences. “The accused person took advantage of the trust bestowed upon him by the victim who looked up to him as a spiritual leader and the court should consider that offences of this nature are on the rise,” Ngoma said.

According to the State, on April 24, around 10 am, Chinyanga went to a hill near Ruwa River for a cleansing ceremony with the woman who was said to be tormented by evil spirits.Under a muhacha tree where the cleansing ceremony would be conducted, Chinyanga gave the woman a bottle filled with a bitter concotion to drink. She felt dizzy before falling unconscious. When she eventually came to, Chinyanga was already abusing her. He subsequently fled the scene. An unidentified woman accompanied the woman to police station and the rest, as they say, is now history. Home for Chinyanga is a housing stand gifted to him by a man whose daughter he ‘cured’ of cancer.

The patient, a woman in her early 40s, conf irmed to The Patriot that she had, indeed, been diagnosed with cancer but was now ‘cured’, thanks to Chinyanga. “Whilst in prison, I made a sculpture of the Big Five which I presented to the prison chaplain at Harare Central Prison. He still has it in his office to this day,” says Chinyanga. “I was eventually promoted to the ‘yellow level’ where my daily routine was to spy on errant prisoners on behalf of the prison officers, which gave me the chance to devote more time to my art and, in the process, produce more pieces. “During my time in prison, I acquired certificates in peace education and theory of mechanics, majoring in reformed systematics at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison.”

After his release, the rehabilitated Chinyanga took his art more seriously, producing artefacts for various institutions and Government officials. “I sculpted a replica of the ‘Tomb of the Unknown Soldier’ for our Member of Parliament, Hon Tayedzwa Mutana, and a zebra chair for the Mayor of Rushinga, Alderman Mafunga, among others,” says Chinyanga. “In 2024, I was commissioned by the Environmental Management Agency (EMA), through the Zimbabwe Sunshine Group, to construct a model of a farm depicting environmental-friendly practices such as biogas and solar power generation, crop rotation and apiculture, among others, with the help of discarded cardboard boxes.

“The model, which became popular at the EMA stand during the Harare Agricultural Show in 2024 and is still in place, showcased how people can successfully grow crops without disturbing the ecosystem and/or environment.” Chinyanga also collects discarded baobab seeds from fruit juice and ice cream (ice lolo) producers which he designs into beautiful tsoro pieces. ‘Tsoro’ is the traditional, two-player, mathematical strategy board game with roots in Zimbabwe, often played on boards etched into the rock. Chinyanga, who is always clad in traditional headgear, armband and sandals made from cow hides, says his sculpture is inspired by nature, especially animals. “My mission is to teach the youth of Epworth to rely on their talents, like I do, so that they stay away from crime and drugs, and thus jail.

As you may be aware, Epworth is synonymous with all sorts of crimes,” said Chinyanga. “The youths must be supported to pursue their talents and dreams right from the grassroots. They must not be forced to pursue academic subjects which will leave them job hunting after school. “I believe in using my hands to make images of objects I admire and make some money from home. In the short to medium term, I have bigger plans for myself and the youths of Epworth.”