A SENIOR officer with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service (ZPCS) was recently arrested and appeared in court for illegally releasing an incarcerated armed robber.

Chamunorwa Matshalaga (52), a Principal Correctional Officer formerly stationed at Khami Maximum Security Prison, released Charles Nyandoro, an inmate serving 62 years for six counts of armed robbery.

The top ZPCS official appeared at Bulawayo Regional Court this week, facing criminal abuse of duty as a public officer after he facilitated the unlawful release of the convict.

Matshalaga was denied bail and the matter was remanded to October 3, 2025, for routine remand.

The State case is that sometime in April 2024, Matshalaga and unnamed accomplices manipulated the Proposed General Amnesty 2024 list by fraudulently including Nyandoro, who was ineligible under Clemency Order No. 1, which excluded violent offenders.

It was averred that on April 19, 2024, Nyandoro was unlawfully released under the guise of "old age clemency". A warrant of committal signed by Matshalaga and prison records linking him to the release were recovered.

Accused person was subsequently arrested on September 16, 2025, in Bulawayo.