Short-Lived Freedom: Gwanda Inmate Recaptured After Prison Break Attempt
An inmate escaped from custody while serving a three-year jail term for stock theft in Gwanda but was later recaptured, leading to an additional four-month sentence.
Nkosilathi Lunga tried to outsmart prison guards by escaping during a firewood collection assignment, but his plan quickly fell apart.
Also Read: Two Dangerous Inmates Escape from Marondera Prison in Broad Daylight
Sentenced for Escape
The inmate, Nkosilathi Lunga, pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody when he appeared before Gwanda magistrate Mr Gillian Padzakashamba. He was sentenced to six months, with two months suspended on condition he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.
Escape During Firewood Duty
According to Prosecutor Mercy Nyathi, the escape happened on 28 July around midday. Lunga and other inmates had been assigned to collect firewood at Mapane Prison Farm. While the group was left unattended, he seized the opportunity to slip away. He made his way to his rural home area in Kezi, hoping to evade capture
Recaptured in Kezi
His freedom was short-lived as prison officers tracked him down at a place called Dry Paddock in his rural home area of Kezi. He was swiftly arrested and returned to Gwanda Prison.
High-Risk Inmates Escape from St Thomas Prison
Meanwhile, in a separate case, two high-risk prisoners staged a daring escape from St Thomas Prison in Marondera on Saturday afternoon, 2 August 2025, in what appears to have been a well-timed breakout.
The escape occurred shortly after a visit session with family and friends, when the inmates—both from the notorious ‘D Class,’ reserved for violent offenders—scaled the prison’s perimeter fence and vanished.
One of the fugitives was reportedly serving a sentence for armed robbery, while the other was jailed for rape. Their identities have not been released. The timing of the escape has raised suspicions of a possible inside involvement.
A full-scale investigation is now underway to determine how the prisoners managed to flee under the watch of prison wardens. The Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) have since launched a manhunt.
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The post Short-Lived Freedom: Gwanda Inmate Recaptured After Prison Break Attempt appeared first on iHarare News.
