Prisoners escape from Chikurubi

Harare Bureau
TWO prisoners escaped from Chikurubi Maximum Prison Farm on Wednesday afternoon after they allegedly attacked a prison officer with a hoe, seriously injuring him. Carrington Mutambarika (21) and Brighton Tshuma (23) were reported to have been working on the farm when the incident occurred.

Police yesterday said the prison officer (name withheld) who was also stripped of his uniform, sustained serious head injuries and was admitted at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals.

One of the suspects is believed to have worn the uniform after the attack.
Mutambarika was serving seven years for robbery after being sentenced in 2010, while Tshuma had four years for 12 counts of housebreaking and theft after being sentenced in 2011.

National police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi said they were hunting for the prison breakers.
“We are appealing for information which can assist in the arrest of the two criminals who escaped from Chikurubi Prison Farm where they were working after attacking a prison officer with a hoe and robbed him of his uniform on October 22, 2013 at around 1pm,” he said.
Chief Supt Nyathi said they were still investigating the case and could not divulge any further information.

“We are appealing to the public to be on the lookout when approached by these two wanted criminals,” he said. “Anyone with information leading to their arrest should contact any nearest police station.”

This is not the first time that prisoners have escaped or attempted to escape from various prisons countrywide. Most of the suspects who escaped in the past were recaptured and convicted of escaping from lawful custody.

The most famous jail break was that carried out by murder and robbery convicts Stephen Chidhumo, Edgar Masendeke and Elias Chauke from Chikurubi Maximum Prison in 1995.

Chidhumo and Masendeke were captured two weeks later in Mozambique, while Chauke was apprehended the same day near the prison.
All of them were hanged in 2003.

In November 2011, an inmate who attempted to escape from Kentucky Prison in Harare during a soccer match was sentenced to four additional years in jail.

Tendai Chigwete (30) pleaded guilty to attempting to escape from lawful custody at the prison located near the Harare International Airport.

Four notorious armed robbers who had been brought to court on routine remand ran riot, disarmed a prison officer and tried to flee in a foiled escape in Mutare in February 2011.

One of the escapees was shot in the stomach while scaling the security fence at the courts and died at Mutare Provincial Hospital where he had been admitted. The other three, who had made good their escape, were apprehended shortly afterwards with the assistance of members of the public.

In February 2011, police in the Midlands recaptured two of the three daring criminals who escaped from Whawha Prison last December.
Last year, Albert Mugove Matapo and convicted armed robber Lucky Mhungu were convicted of attempting to escape from Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in April 2010.

The two pleaded not guilty to attempting to escape from lawful custody, but regional magistrate Mr Morgen Nemadire convicted them because of overwhelming evidence.