Prison Officers In Court Over Inmate Escape

Patience Nhamburo

The two Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services officers who helped serial rapist and armed robber Sam Muropa escape from lawful detention at Harare Remand Prison have appeared before the courts facing charges of aiding a prisoner to escape from lawful custody.

The court heard that on the of 1st October 2021, the officers, Ngonidzashe Munhuuripi and Simbarashe Machekera were on duty at Harare Remand Prison when they approached Muropa, They advised the prisoner that they had come to assist him to escape from the prison since it was going to be very difficult to secure his bail. During lock up time they hid Muropa in a bathroom in the yard and later took him to the reception area where they sourced for his clothes on the pretext that he had been granted bail.

They further briefed him on the security set-up of the premises and advised him of the route which he was going to take in order to avoid being spotted by other prison officers. Munhuuripi assisted Muropa to lay concrete pillars against the pre-cast wall and from which Muropa escaped from the prison premises. Machekera later facilitated for a taxi to collect Muropa along Enterprise road.

On 5 October 2021, Muropa was re-arrested by CID Homicide, Harare and narrated how he had escaped from remand prison and implicated the two accused persons.

Harare Magistrate Dennis Mangosi remanded them in custody to Monday the 11th of October for bail ruling.