Online Reporter
B-Metro Reporter
A CUNNING Harare inmate’s “great escape” plot crashed and burned in spectacular fashion after he tried to flee court custody with a revolver smuggled into prison inside a bowl of rice – landing him a brutal 10-year jail stretch. The 29-year-old Glen View crook, already facing robbery charges, teamed up with fellow inmate Luke Zinyengere and a bent prison officer, Donald Madzinga, to sneak the firearm past guards.
The scheme unravelled on 21 March 2025 when the convict, hiding the gun in his trousers, threatened to blast prison officers after a court hearing. As he bolted towards Mother Patrick Road, scaling the court’s palisade fence like a desperate action hero, guards opened fire. His Hollywood moment ended abruptly when a quick-thinking officer tripped him mid-sprint, leaving him sprawled and cuffed.
The court heard how the inmate’s brother, Tinotenda, delivered the revolver stashed in a rice bowl to Madzinga, who slipped it into the prison.
The Harare Magistrates’ Court threw the book at him, ensuring he’ll rot behind bars for a decade, while his armed robbery case is still pending.
