Dangerous Plumtree Prison Escapee Re-Arrested in Malawi – Eduzim News

By Crime and Courts Reporter-Authorities have confirmed the re-arrest of convicted criminal Mike Cabangani Mathe, who escaped from Plumtree Prison in November 2025 and fled the country.

Mathe, 38, was apprehended following his deportation from Malawi, where he had reportedly sought refuge to evade recapture.

In a statement issued on Wednesday evening, the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) confirmed that Mathe was arrested upon arrival at Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport in Harare.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police confirms the arrest of Mike Cabangani Mathe (38) in connection with a case of escaping from lawful custody in Plumtree,” the statement read.

“Mike Cabangani Mathe, who was serving a 20-year jail sentence for rape cases and murder, escaped from Plumtree Prison on 15 November 2025 and skipped the country.

“The suspect was apprehended on 24 February 2026 at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, Harare, following his deportation from Malawi.”

Mathe reportedly escaped in the early hours of Saturday, 15 November 2025, after allegedly cutting through window bars using a hacksaw blade. It is believed he sliced open a window around 2am, climbed out of his cell and vanished into the night.

At the time of his escape, Mathe was serving a 20-year prison sentence for rape, imposed on 29 August 2025. He was also awaiting trial at the Regional Court on additional charges including murder, sodomy and another rape case.

His escape triggered widespread fear in Plumtree and surrounding districts, including Bulilima and Mangwe, where residents described him as dangerous and ruthless.

For years, Mathe was allegedly known in Plumtree as a powerful local figure, running businesses and openly displaying wealth. Some residents claimed he intimidated women and boasted that he could never be arrested. Several cases against him reportedly collapsed under unclear circumstances, with victims said to have been too afraid to pursue charges.

His eventual conviction followed a brutal attack in 2024 involving a female employee. Court papers indicate that on 16 October 2024, Mathe allegedly forced the woman into his vehicle and drove her to a remote location. He is accused of ordering her into a water tank and repeatedly submerging her head until she lost consciousness.

Prosecutors further allege that he later drove her home, forced her to change clothes and raped her before instructing her to report for work the next day.

In another matter, it is alleged that a woman who had been in protective custody was handed over to Mathe by a police officer. She was later reportedly smuggled to Botswana, where she is believed to have been killed.

Mathe also faces charges of abusing a minor who worked at one of his shops, as well as another case in which he allegedly handcuffed, assaulted and forced a woman underwater while stepping on her back.

For many in Plumtree, Mathe was long considered untouchable due to alleged powerful connections — until his conviction in 2025.

His re-arrest now brings an end to a months-long manhunt and is likely to reassure communities that had lived in fear since his dramatic prison escape.

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