FORMER First Lady Grace Mugabe yesterday testified against her former employees who allegedly stole household property worth more than half a million United States dollars from her Blue Roof mansion in Borrowdale, Harare.
Allen Chinamonya (42), Danmore Chinamonya (35), Samson Karonga and Tendai Nyamudzwe were recently arrested for unlawful entry in aggravating circumstances.
They appeared before Harare magistrate Estere Chivasa.
Mugabe told the court that in 2017, her family moved some of its property from Zimbabwe House to its Blue Roof mansion using 11 containers.
She said all the goods were secured with locks and she kept the keys, adding that there were security guards looking after the property.
Mugabe said sometime in 2022, she discovered the offence after she came back from Singapore, adding that in May this year, the Museum of African Liberation called her requesting artefacts belonging to her late husband former President Robert Mugabe.
She told the court that when she went to look for the artefacts, she discovered that the locks were broken and asked her former driver and house controller to buy new locks.
Mugabe said she also noticed that all the containers had been ransacked, with a lot of items missing, adding that Nyamudzwe was caught red-handed with a chest of drawers.
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She also submitted that some of the items could not be carried without transport, adding that the drivers connived to steal the property.
Mugabe also told the court that the quartet had a history of stealing during its time as employees.
She, however, broke down during testimony while the State presented her late husband’s alleged stolen suits, leading the matter to briefly adjourn.
When the trial resumed, Mugabe dismissed the accused’s defence that she gave them the suits, arguing that there were some workers who served for more than 30 years but she did not give them such valuables.
She said the value of the stolen items was between US$3,5 million and US$4 million.
However, defence counsel Rene Kuchidza argued that Mugabe never caught the accused persons opening the containers, adding that she did not remember the date the property was stolen.
He also submitted that the initial report indicated that the value of the stolen items was US$500 000.
In response, Mugabe said she was not sure why the figure was low, adding that the police had done it prematurely.
Kuchidza further submitted that part of the property was moved from the containers to her Mazowe School and her foundation.
He also argued that some of the items found in the accused’s possession were given to them by the late President, but the former First Lady dismissed the assertion.
It is the State’s case that sometime in 2018, Mugabe brought 11 goods containers loaded with various household property to the Blue Roof mansion.
The property was removed from Zimbabwe House after the late President’s resignation.
It further alleged that the four gained entry into the containers and stole various household items, including television sets, clothes, cutlery and bath towels.
On May 22 this year, the State said Mugabe went to the containers intending to select some artefacts belonging to her late husband with the intention of donating them to the African Liberation Museum and discovered that various items were missing.
Police conducted a search at the residential places of the suspects and recovered a cream men’s suit, a white short-sleeved men’s suit, one green cover bed, one cream cover bed and a black and silver television set.
The former First Lady positively identified the property which was stolen from the containers.
The value of property stolen was estimated to be US$500 000, while goods worth US$2 000 were recovered.
