On 3 July this year, the regime's Ministry of Law and Order announced that 141 predominantly ZAPU detainees were being released as they no longer constituted "a threat to public security". Those released include James Bassopo-Moyo, treasurer of the People's Movement; Welshman Mabhena, William Dhlamini and James Dhlamini of the ANC (Zimbabwe); Eric Gwanzura, treasurer of the People's Movement; and Albert (Joe) Taderera, a national official of the People's Movement.
There have been no further large scale releases. On 8 August 1979, the Minister of Justice told UANC MPs who had asked for the release of all convicted political prisoners and detainees regardless of their political affiliations, that the release of political prisoners had to be carried out selectively. He explained to the Zimbabwe-Rhodesia House of Assembly that it had been decided to release prisoners convicted of security offences if this would assist the regime's amnesty campaign. Prisoners would not be released if it was thought that they would create a security risk.
On 5 August 1979, Bishop Muzorewa was asked during an interview for British Independent Television whether he thought it would contribute to his declared aim of building a democratic society in Zimbabwe by if he released various African nationalist leaders, such as the Reverend Canaan Banana, from prison and detention.
Bishop Muzorewa replied:
Well, I think there is something there. I hope that you will take this as honest and (the) truth from me. I think there is misunderstanding of that part of the game. It has been clearly announced here that all the Africans who want to come back, who want to live in this country, wherever they were, whether they were in prison or outside or anything, it doesn't matter, it could be even some people who were under sentence of death. They have been released and are free, as long as they say: 'Now is the time to work for the establishment of freedom constitutionally' - all are, without exception, asked, and can come and be free. Now, I don't want to hide this, there are some people who are continuing, who are saying now that they want to continue the gun. Now, I don't think that we should be so stupid or try to pretend that we are holier than any other, to say that we can now let them go around and influence people and to use guns. Definitely not, of course not.
