By Leonard Ncube
A TSIKAMUTANDA who escaped from Victoria Falls Prison last month has told a magistrate that he bribed some unnamed prison officers for them to release him.
Nyasha Jabulani Nyoni (21) of BH 3 Jambezi escaped from Victoria Falls Prison while serving a three-year jail term for theft of a motor vehicle following his conviction last year.
The court heard that when he escaped, Nyoni had changed into civilian clothes from prison garb.
Nyoni escaped from prison on September 9, three days before a magistrate was due to deliver judgment on other charges ranging from extortion to kidnapping and unlawful detention, indicating witches and wizards he was facing.
Other pending charges he was facing include assault or resisting a police officer, stock theft, escaping from lawful custody, driving without a valid driver’s licence and driving without due care and attention.
Nyoni, who doubles up as a self-proclaimed prophet, pleaded not guilty to escaping from lawful custody when he appeared before Hwange magistrate Mrs Portia Mhlanga-Moyo last week.
“I didn’t escape from prison but I was released by prison officers after I paid them. I have been paying them so that they release me but they were now taking time. I told them I was going to expose them in court and that’s when they released me,” said Nyoni.
He alleged that an officer who was on duty on September 9 told him that “this is the time to go” as they were watching a soccer match on TV in prison cells housed at the magistrates’ court.
Nyoni did not mention the names of the prison officers or how much he paid them. His trial continues today.
Prosecuting, Mr Onias Nyathi said Nyoni escaped at around 3PM.
“The accused person who was serving a jail term at Victoria Falls Prison was watching TV with other inmates on the 9th day of September at around 3PM.
He escaped from lawful custody through an unknown exit point and went away unnoticed,” said the prosecutor.
Nyoni was arrested in his rural home in Jambezi five days later.
Police are still investigating a report that he allegedly raped a Form Two girl in Jambezi soon after escaping from prison.
Recently, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services spokesperson for Matabeleland North Province, Senior Prison Officer Bothwell Bosha told The Chronicle that investigations were underway to find out how Nyoni escaped.
