The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Service confirmed the incident to the BBC but did not share further details.
Murambedi said the boy used his wildlife knowledge and survival skills to stay alive.
Tinatenda survived the ordeal by eating wild fruit. He also dug small wells in dry riverbeds with a stick to access drinking water, a skill taught in drought-prone areas.
Members of the local Nyaminyami community began a search and beat drums every day to try to guide him home.
But in the end, the park rangers managed to find him.
On his fifth day in the wild, Tinatenda heard a ranger’s car and ran towards it, narrowly missing out, the MP said.
Fortunately, the rangers returned, noticed “fresh, small human tracks” and searched the area until they found him.
“Apparently, this was his last chance to escape after 5 days in the desert,” said the deputy.
The park covers more than 1,470 square kilometers (570 square miles) and is home to zebras, elephants, hippos, lions and antelopes.
On social media, people are praising the boy for his resilience.
“It’s beyond human comprehension,” one person wrote on X.
Another user wrote: “He’s going to have one hell of a story to tell when he goes back to school.”
