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Nokusa Masuku Court Reporter
A BULAWAYO woman was arrested for allegedly hiding her husband in a wardrobe after he had escaped from Mbizo satellite prison.

Oliper Ndlovu, 25, appeared before provincial magistrate Willard Maphios Moyo facing a charge of harbouring prisoners and pleaded guilty.

She would be sentenced today.

Ndlovu told the court that she hid her husband, Lungisani Maphala because he had told her that he missed his children.

“Your worship my husband told me that he missed his children and wanted to take care of them, that is why I didn’t report him,” said Ndlovu.

She pleaded for an out of custody sentence stating that she was taking care of her ill mother.

“May I be given an out of custody sentence as I’m the one who is taking care of my children and my mother who is ill,” said Ndlovu.

Prosecuting, Mufaro Mageza told the court that on Friday last week around 2PM, Pianos Marega, a prison officer went to Ndlovu’s house in Magwegwe to ask about Maphala’s whereabouts.

Ndlovu professed ignorance on the matter and told the prison officer that her husband was in prison serving his sentence for theft.

Marega asked Ndlovu for permission to search the house and it was granted.

The prison officer later discovered Maphala hiding in the wardrobe and arrested him.

Last month, an Inyathi man who escaped from Khami Prison where he was serving a four year sentence for stock theft, unlawful entry and theft was sentenced to effective 24 months imprisonment by a Western Commonage magistrate.

Prince Sikhosana, 23, escaped while prison officers were escorting him with other inmates to the garden in the prison’s paddock.

He was apprehended by prison officers after running for about 500 metres.