Convicted rapist, Cabangani Mathe, gave away his location after mocking victims using Malawian number
Former Plumtree businessman Cabangani Mike Mathe, who escaped from Plumtree Prison last year, inadvertently revealed his whereabouts by mocking his rape victims using a Malawian phone number before his rearrest this month.
The 38-year-old, who stunned the nation when he absconded from lawful custody on 15 November 2025, had been serving a 20-year sentence for rape and faced other serious charges, including physical abuse, further counts of rape and a pending murder trial.
Mathe’s flight prompted an intense manhunt involving gunfire, roadblocks and drones over border communities.
Following his re‑arrest and deportation from Malawi, investigations suggest his escape was arranged through a corrupt deal with a prison officer.
A Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) officer stationed at Plumtree Prison, Yusufu Yusufu (47), has appeared before Plumtree magistrate Joshua Nembaware, charged with assisting a prisoner to escape.
He was not asked to plead and was remanded to 20 March on US$100 bail. He is represented by Thutho Mavula, while Sheila Nyathi appears for the State.
According to the prosecution, Yusufu and Mathe allegedly hatched an escape plan while Mathe was behind bars.
The plot reportedly stemmed from a financial dispute. Mathe told investigators that, before his incarceration, he had lent Yusufu US$2,000, expecting a 40 per cent return.
When Mathe was jailed before the debt was settled, he allegedly demanded repayment to fund legal bills.
Unable or unwilling to repay, Yusufu allegedly proposed an alternative: he would help Mathe escape for an additional fee.
Mathe is said to have paid US$300 from money he had secretly hidden in prison. Yusufu is accused of supplying Mathe with two hacksaw blades and advising him how to cut through the burglar bars in his cell window without arousing suspicion.
Over five days, Mathe allegedly cut through three bars while pretending to clean his cell. In the early hours of 15 November, he squeezed through the opening, cut through a razor‑wired fence near the dog yard and fled into the night, leaving the hacksaw blades and severed bars behind.
What followed was chaos in Plumtree. Police mounted an aggressive search as Mathe moved between bushes, relatives’ homes and mountains, evading capture even as officers opened fire and drones circled overhead.
Mathe later hitched lifts through Bulawayo and Harare before boarding a bus to Malawi. But while Mathe believed he had escaped justice, even shaving his trademark dreadlocks, sources close to the investigation say his own recklessness exposed him.
While hiding in Malawi, Mathe allegedly began sending threatening WhatsApp voice notes and messages to people in Plumtree using a Malawian phone number, +265 99 153 6675.
Mathe reportedly demanded repayment of debts as small as US$10, threatening to “visit the victims” if they failed to pay.
He is also alleged to have phoned some of his rape victims from private numbers, laughing silently on the line.
These threats alerted investigators that Mathe was operating from Malawi, narrowing the search.
Mathe’s run ended on Valentine’s Day when Malawian police stopped him during a routine check; he failed to produce identification.
He was deported and arrested by CID homicide officers at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport.
Mathe appeared before Bulawayo regional magistrate Shingirayi Mutiro, pleaded guilty to escaping from lawful custody and was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. *_-B-Metro_*
