Prison boss 'bonks married subordinate in exchange for protection'

A MARRIED senior official at Whawha Prison on the outskirts of Gweru allegedly demanded and had sex with a subordinate who is also married, to shield her from a disciplinary hearing.

Sources at the prison allege that Superintendent Happyson Sithole who works at the Regional Office has been having an adulterous relationship with junior officer Prison Officer 2 (PO2) Abigail Gurunura for the past five months.

Supt Sithole has allegedly arranged for his subordinate to be transferred to Chivhu Prison after his wife stumbled on love messages between him and Gurunura on his phone, last week.

The source said Gurunura who had a white wedding with her husband identified as Banda has been sleeping with her boss since June this year.

Supt Sithole's wife, Mukoti Makan'a, confirmed the relationship between her husband and the junior prison officer.

Describing Gurunura as an evil and dangerous woman who went after her husband, Makan'a said yesterday: "It's true that my husband was having an affair with this lady of loose morals. She knew me, we go to the same church, Methodist Church, we sit on the same bench every Sunday and she goes after my husband. She's evil."

She said she got to know of the affair after going through her husband's mobile phone on Saturday last week.

She said Supt Sithole came home drunk and threw his mobile phone under the bed.

"I saw the phone and picked it up and out of curiosity I started going through his text messages. There was this conversation between my husband and one Gomora Tarangana which drew my attention. According to the texts, the two had met earlier," she said.

Makan'a said she saved the number on her mobile phone and to her utter amazement; she already had the number saved as Mai Banda.

"I then realised that my husband and Mai Banda (PO2 Gurunura) were having an affair. I went and reported the matter to ZPCS Chaplain and the two confirmed that they had been seeing each other. Mai Banda should be exposed for her evil actions," she said.

Banda, Gurunura's husband, confirmed the affair but referred The Chronicle to Chief Prison Officer Kumirai who he said was handling it.

Gurunura said she knew nothing about the alleged affair while Supt Sithole could not be reached since his wife has since confiscated his mobile phone.

At work, he was said to be in meetings.

Sources said Supt Sithole forced Gurunura into the relationship after she was caught giving a prisoner her cell phone to make unauthorised phone calls.

Prisoners are not allowed to own cell phones or make phone calls without supervision.

"In June this year, a Gilead Mswazie who is serving a 9-year jail term for stock theft was overheard talking on a cell phone in the toilet by another inmate. Investigations revealed that Mswazie had been given the cell phone by PO2 Gurunura who had brought him airtime," said the source from Whawha Prison.

The source said Gurunura - a mother of two - was close to being charged for breaching prison rules where chances were high she could lose her job.

"Supt Sithole demanded sex to stop the disciplinary procedure. PO2 Gurunura gave in and the two started an adulterous relationship," said the source.

The source said after discovering that his wife had become aware of his shenanigans, Supt Sithole then requested that Gurunura be transferred from Whawha to Chivhu Prison.

The source said Gurunura is fighting the transfer.

Whawha Prison officer-in-charge, Supt Justin Nyatongo, professed ignorance.

"I know nothing about that matter. Go back to the person who told you about the sex scandal and get more details. That person who told you should've furnished you with all the details," he said.

ZPCS public relations officer for Masvingo and the Midlands, Chief Prison Officer, Jere Ruzive, could not be reached for comment.