Prison escapee gets 13 months jail term

An inmates who broke out of Imbizo Barracks Prisons in Bulawayo in February has been sentenced to 13 months in jail for escaping from jail.

Lungisani Maphala (23) of Old Magwegwe and Mhlupheki Ncube still at large who were serving jail terms, ran away from jail on on Febraury 26 this year.

But Maphala was re-arrested.

Bulawayo magistrate Tawanda Muchemwa convicted him on his own plea of guilty before sentencing him to 17 months in jail. Four months of the sentence were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour. This left his with a 13 months jail term to serve.

The prosecutor Munyonga Kuvarega told the court that on February 26 this year, at 7:30am, inmates (at Imbizo Barracks Prisons) paraded for breakfast. The prison officers, Vincent Mudengezanwa and Vengai Rangayi, noticed that the two inmates were missing. Searches were conducted and they found that Maphala and his friend had jumped over the fence to escape from prison.

The two are alleged to have removed their prison garb and worn civilian clothes before scaling the prison walls.

The following day, prison officers raided Maphala's home in Old Magwegwe and allegedly found him hiding in a wardrobe.

They arrested him and took him to Bulawayo Prisons.