Online Reporter
Bmetro Reporter
IT was like a scene from an action movie, but the script didn’t go as planned for two daring criminals who tried to pull off a Hollywood-style escape from the Harare Magistrates’ Court.
Tafadzwa Richard Marondera (29) and his partner-in-crime Luke Zinyengere, both facing multiple armed robbery charges, attempted a dramatic getaway on March 21, 2025. Their plan? Smuggle a gun into Harare Remand Prison hidden in a bowl of rice!
The pair, furious after their High Court bail bid was denied, allegedly roped in rogue prison officer Donald Madzinga to sneak in a revolver. The weapon was delivered by Zinyengere’s younger brother, Tinozenda, disguised in the most unexpected of places—a humble bowl of rice.
When the duo appeared in Court 12, they whipped out the hidden firearm, threatened officers, and made a break for it, scaling the palisade fence before bolting down Mother Patrick Road. But luck was not on their side!
Marondera was swiftly tripped and apprehended by a quick-thinking prison officer, while Zinyengere managed to evade capture until March 24, when he was tracked down in Masva area.
The National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ) said Madzinga, the prison officer turned accomplice, also found himself on the wrong side of the law and is now behind bars for criminal abuse of office.
Crime doesn’t pay, and these crooks learned it the hard way!
