Online Reporter
Ronald Mpofu
PALPABLE panic has swallowed Plumtree after convicted rapist and murder suspect Mike Cabangani Mathe slipped out of Plumtree Prison in the early hours of Saturday 15 November 2025. The town is trembling with fear as victims, witnesses and residents feel abandoned while a man long regarded as a ruthless predator roams free.
Mathe was serving a 20-year sentence handed down on 29 August for a chilling rape and torture attack on his female employee. He was also awaiting trial for murder, sodomy and another rape case. His escape has reopened old wounds and revived dark memories of a man many believed untouchable for years.
Victims who testified against him say they are living on borrowed time. A woman told B-Metro she would rather end her life than wait for him to track her down. She said she cannot live in constant fear and that there is no protection in Zimbabwe. Many survivors say they feel completely exposed because they believe Mathe still has allies who might help him evade arrest.
As the news spread, residents began talking about fleeing the town. Some families say they are retreating to rural homes while others are considering migrating altogether. One resident said Mathe is probably compiling a list of everyone who stood against him and warned that the community will suffer if he is not captured soon. “Vele lapho okhona ulungisa i-list yabangahambelananga le senzo sakhe, futhi kusazogijinywa nxa engasabanjwangwa,” posted the person in a residents group.
Another asked how ordinary people are expected to defend themselves if a hardened criminal can outsmart trained prison officers.
Anger is rising over the prison’s handling of the case. Residents are demanding to know why a man with such a violent history was kept in Plumtree instead of a maximum security facility like Khami. Others insist he did not break out but was freed after someone received a khakhi envelope. People are questioning where the guards were and how no alarm was raised until he was long gone.
Fear has forced some people to switch off their social media accounts because they believe the fugitive might track their chats. Victims refuse to seek help from police, saying they cannot trust them. One recalled the notorious Judas Cop case in which rogue officer Thembani Mukanyani allegedly removed a victim from the Victim Friendly Unit and handed her to Mathe. The woman was later murdered in Botswana. Survivors say approaching police will only make things worse.
Residents who owed Mathe money before he was jailed claim they are now receiving fresh threats. Some say he has warned he will break into their homes if they delay paying him back. The town feels like a hunting ground and some people told B-Metro they are sleeping with lights on.
It has been six days since the breakout. The Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) has said a manhunt has been instituted while the police have not issued an official statement. There has been a heavy police presence in the border town as authorities hunt the suspect.
For years Mathe allegedly terrorised women while bragging that police could never arrest him. Cases against him were said to collapse mysteriously and victims often claimed intimidation. His eventual conviction in August was seen as a breakthrough. Now that he is back on the streets, the community believes the nightmare has returned.
