MASVINGO — A week-long manhunt for escaped Mutimurefu Prison inmate James Masunda ended in a bush hideout at Matsa Village, in Renco, where detectives used his wife to draw him out before a gunfire exchange left him with severe injuries to his right leg.
Masunda, aged 34, was arrested on August 14 after police tracked him to the Renco mining area. He had been on the run since August 8, when he escaped from Mutimurefu Prison with fellow inmate Tafadzwa Janyure Zimirenyika, who is 27 years old. Zimirenyika remains at large and is still the subject of an intensive search.
The operation reached its final stage after police detectives located Masunda in hiding and used his wife as bait to persuade him to leave the bush. Details of the precise conversation the wife was made to have with her fugitive husband have not been made public, but information gathered by My Zimbabwe News after the arrest indicates that the move gave detectives an opportunity to close in on the dangerous criminal.
A shoot-out then followed. Masunda was shot twice in one leg and was taken for treatment under police guard. He was later remanded in custody at Mutimurefu Prison Hospital after appearing before Masvingo magistrate Archie Wochiunga during a court session held at his hospital bed. A court session being held at an injured criminal’s hospital bed reveals the extensive injury the criminal suffered during the gunfire exchange with police snipers.
A 15-second video seen by our news team shows the seriousness of the injury. Masunda is seen lying in hospital with the skin on his lower leg torn away, leaving a deep open wound and the damaged bones exposed. The tibia, the larger bone at the front of the lower leg (mupimbiri), can be seen vibrating (bhonzo ranga richitamba-tamba) in the open wound.
The smaller bone, the fibula, also appears to have been broken. Masunda can be heard lightly groaning in pain as a female medical worker briefly can be heard talking in the background. One male person is then heard in the clip saying, “Sorry hey, Sorry ma comrade” as the camera focuses on Masunda’s extensive leg injury. The footage does not provide a medical prognosis, but it gives a clear picture of the trauma he suffered during the confrontation and the difficult treatment now facing him. While we cannot publish the video, however, an image below illustrated where Masunda’s leg was shot. Judging by the video clip, walking again without any clutches may probably be next to impossible.
Last week, national police spokesperson, Commissioner Paul Nyathi, confirmed Masunda’s arrest after the operation at Matsa Village.
“The ZRP confirms the arrest of James Masunda (34), following a shoot-out on August 14, 2026, at Matsa Village, Renco, Masvingo,” Nyathi said.
Masunda’s capture came after the two escapees allegedly moved through rural communities in search of food, clothing, money and transport. Their flight quickly became a security emergency because both men were already serving lengthy sentences for serious offences.
“The two escaped today early in the morning and we have launched a manhunt for them. The criminals should be treated as very dangerous people and anyone with information about their whereabouts should inform the nearest police station,” Nyathi said after the prison break.
The escape was followed by a chain of alleged robberies in the Chikwanda area. The first reported target was Zigwi tuck-shop, where the men allegedly took US$20, foodstuffs and a pair of jeans. The incident happened only hours after they left prison, as they attempted to obtain basic supplies while moving from one hiding place to another.
Later that evening, at about 8pm, the pair allegedly entered the homestead of Medlyn Mudzingwa in Chikwanda Village, under Chief Chikwanda in Masvingo Rural. They were armed with a machete and a knife and allegedly forced Mudzingwa into her bedroom before demanding US$1,000.
Mudzingwa told the court that one of the men threatened to cut off her hands when she said she did not have the money. The intruders searched the room and allegedly took US$173, a black satchel, a pair of jeans and a brown polo-neck sweater.
“He threatened to cut my hands with a machete if I failed to give him the US$1 000. I told him he might cut my hands for nothing because I did not have the money and had never handled such a figure in my life. He took away US$20 from my purse and I showed him where the other money was and in total he took $173.” she said
The men allegedly struck again about 30 minutes later at the homestead of village head Jacob Moyo in Gonovhi Village, also under Chief Chikwanda. Moyo was asleep when a powerful torch was shone through his bedroom window. He woke to find one of the men near the bedroom door, which had been forced open with a sharp or heavy object.
The pair allegedly demanded money and threatened to kill Moyo after he said he had none. They then took the keys to his white Toyota Vitz, registration number ADD 2232, which were hanging from a nail on the wall.
The vehicle initially refused to start because Moyo normally disconnected its battery when it was parked. The fugitives allegedly forced him to explain how to reconnect it. While they were working under the bonnet, Moyo escaped through a window and raised the alarm.
“While they were attending to the battery, I managed to escape through the window and shouted out that there were thieves. The suspects quickly drove out of the yard,” he said.
Villagers, businessmen and motorists joined the pursuit. The chase continued for nearly 1km before the two men abandoned the vehicle near Chikwanda Primary School and ran into the surrounding area.
“They left the vehicle near Chikwanda Primary School after seeing a vehicle coming from the direction of Masvingo and ran away,” Moyo said.
The abandoned Toyota became one of the key clues in the search. Investigators also followed reports of the fugitives moving between rural settlements and looking for food and clothing. Residents were urged not to confront the men or spread unverified sightings on social media, as public announcements could alert them to police movements.
“People should stop using social media platforms to announce the presence of the two. They should contact the police immediately or community leaders like village heads or councillors so that they can notify the police quickly. Social media platforms will alert the fugitives,” police said.
Masunda now faces 4 fresh charges: one count of escaping from lawful custody and 3 counts of armed robbery linked to the alleged attacks on the tuck-shop, Mudzingwa’s home and Moyo’s homestead. Liberty Hove prosecuted during the hospital-bed hearing.
The arrest has given detectives an opportunity to reconstruct the escapees’ movements from the moment they left Mutimurefu Prison and to establish how they survived during the days they spent outside. It has also narrowed the search to Zimirenyika, who remains free somewhere in the Masvingo area.
Police have appealed for information that could lead to his arrest and warned members of the public not to approach him. For now, Masunda remains under guard in hospital, with his injured leg immobilised after the gunfire exchange that may have brought his robbery career and prison-break tricks to a final, abrupt end.