shloboe boe
Ronald Mpofu
A BULAWAYO rape survivor who thought she was safe in police custody met a gruesome end — after a rogue cop allegedly handed her over to her accused rapist, who then bludgeoned her to death and dumped her body across the border in Botswana.
This horrifying betrayal has rocked the quiet border town of Plumtree, leaving an entire community paralysed with fear and disbelief.
Thembani Mukanyani (39), a police officer stationed at Matjinge, and Cabangani Mathe (35), the rape suspect-turned-murder accused, have both been charged with the cold-blooded killing of 20-year-old Benitta Tshuma, a young woman whose only crime was seeking justice.
According to shocking court documents, Tshuma was placed under protective custody at ZRP Plumtree’s Victim Friendly Unit (VFU) in March after reporting that Mathe had raped her. But what was supposed to be a safe haven became a death trap.
On 22 March, 2025, at around 4PM, Officer Mukanyani escorted the visibly shaken Tshuma from Matjinge to the VFU. But less than an hour later, oozing Judas Iscariot vibes, he phoned Mathe, and by 8PM, he smuggled Benitta out of police custody and handed her directly to the man she feared most.
Mathe allegedly drove her to Maitengwe, used a hidden footpath to cross into Botswana, and then murdered her in cold blood, striking her multiple times with a blunt object. He left her lifeless body in the bush and fled back into Zimbabwe.
Her decomposing remains were found five days later on 27 March by Botswana police — already battered by heat and decay.
Mathe was arrested on 3 April, and Officer Mukanyani was nabbed on April 10 after police investigations uncovered damning phone records and eyewitness accounts confirming the two men were in constant contact and seen together the night Tshuma disappeared.
Mathe appeared in court on 17 April 2025 before Magistrate Mark Dzira, where he was not asked to plead. He was remanded in custody to 30 April for his bail application at the High Court. The court also ordered a psychiatric evaluation under the Mental Health Act.
“He handed her over like a parcel — straight to her killer,” said one angry relative outside court. “We trusted the system. It failed her. It betrayed her.”
The Masendu community buried Benitta on 16 April yesterday, her small coffin lowered into the red soil of Ward 7, under a cloud of grief, disbelief, and raw anger.
“She was our little sister. She stood up for herself and spoke out — and this is what she got,” said a tearful cousin.
Benitta’s death has sparked outrage, fuelling debate around police accountability, gender-based violence, and the safety of survivors who report abuse.Police Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba has always come out guns blazing, declaring zero tolerance for rogue elements within the force.
“We don’t protect rotten apples,” he thundered. “Any cop caught offside will be dragged before the courts and made to face the full wrath of the law if found guilty — no sacred cows here!”
Mutamba warned that corrupt officers will be thrown to the wolves, and the badge will not shield anyone from justice.
Online Reporter