FORMER First Lady Grace Mugabe yesterday sobbed in court after positively identifying her late husband Robert Gabriel Mugabe’s suits, which were purportedly stolen by their four employees.
The incident forced the magistrate Ms Esthere Chivasa to order a brief adjournment to enable her to calm down and compose herself.
The suspects are Allen Chinamonya (42), Danmore Chinamonya (35), Samson Karonga and Tendai Bunganirwa.
They are facing charges of unlawful entry in aggravating circumstances after they allegedly broke 11 containers with the former First family’s property before stealing goods.
Mrs Mugabe positively identified all the goods, including the suits, which were tendered as exhibits in court.
In her testimony, Mrs Mugabe said Allen was caught red-handed with some of the stolen goods.
She added that Allen, who was their driver, was also stealing fuel and taking the vehicle to his house without authority.
“I suspected him because some of the goods would not be carried manually, but required a car,” she said.
Mrs Mugabe added that she suspected Karonga because every time there was a case of theft, he was involved.
She further submitted that Karonga was seen by an eyewitness trying to unlock one of the containers.
Asked by the State why she reported only these four accused persons from her 60 employees, Mrs Mugabe said the quartet were involved in previous theft cases.
She said police conducted searches at their homes and recovered some stolen goods.
Mrs Mugabe said the value of stolen property is between US$3,5 million and US$4 million, explaining that the value on the State outline was prematurely calculated.
The four, who are denying the charges, are represented by lawyer Renetty Takudzwa Kuchidza except for Bunganirwa.
In their defence, the suspects said the containers were placed in the car park where everyone could access them.
They also said they received the property in question as gifts for standing with former President Mugabe after he resigned in November 2017.
Bunganirwa told the court that the property, which was in his possession, was given to him by the late President.
The State alleges that sometime in 2018, Mrs Mugabe brought 11 containers loaded with household property to her Borrowdale, Harare, home.
The property had been removed from Zimbabwe House after former President Robert Mugabe’s retirement.
Bunganirwa said Mrs Mugabe secured the property by locking the containers’ doors, but said despite such measures, between 2018 and May 2024, the quartet allegedly broke the padlocks securing them and stole household items such as television sets, clothes, cutlery and bath towels, and went away unnoticed.
On May 22 this year, Mrs Mugabe went to the containers intending to select some artefacts belonging to her late husband with the intention of donating them to the Museum of African Liberation.
That was when she discovered that some of the locks on the containers were broken and many items missing.
Mrs Mugabe advised Superintendent Kennedy Fero, who made a report at Borrowdale Police Station.
Detectives picked up the suspects before interviewing them on the same day.
A search was conducted at Allen’s place of residence in his presence and police 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 court heard that police also carried out a search and a navy blue short-sleeved men’s suit and flowery Zanu PF long-sleeved shirt were recovered from Danmore’s house.
The former First Lady positively identified some of the property which had been stolen from the containers.
Goods worth US$2 000 were recovered.
