Escaped Prisoner Allegedly Rapes CUT Student

Questions have been raised over the deployment and supervision of a prisoner who allegedly escaped while working at a CUT facility.

A Chinhoyi University of Technology (CUT) student was allegedly raped and robbed by a prisoner who escaped while working at a university accommodation facility, according to a police memo cited in local media.

Takudzwa Makunda, 24, of Mbona in Murombedzi, was serving a prison sentence at Chinhoyi Prison after being convicted of stealing a mobile phone. He was also facing pending charges of rape and robbery in Mhondoro at the time of the incident, according to the report. On September 29, 2026, Makunda was assigned to work at CUT's 34-room hotel under a prison labour programme in which prisoners perform work outside the correctional facility.

According to the police memo, Makunda escaped while on duty. “He went on to commit robbery and rape on a CUT student the same day,” the memo reportedly stated. The circumstances surrounding the alleged attack, including how Makunda gained access to the student and the exact sequence of events after his escape, were not immediately clear from the information available.

The case has also raised questions about the circumstances under which a prisoner with pending rape and robbery charges was assigned to work at a university facility where students were present. Zimbabwean law allows convicted prisoners to undertake labour within or outside prison under specified conditions. However, it remains unclear what risk assessment or supervision arrangements were in place when Makunda was deployed to the university.

The allegations have not been tested in court, and Makunda remains presumed innocent of the newly reported offences unless and until convicted. The incident is likely to renew questions about the supervision of prisoners undertaking external work, particularly at locations where members of the public, including students, may have direct contact with them.

Further information from the Zimbabwe Republic Police, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service and CUT would be required to establish how the deployment was authorised and what security measures were in place.

CUT student allegedly raped by escaped prisoner