FOUR men, who were employed by former First Lady Grace Mugabe, have been arrested after they allegedly stole household property and cutlery worth more than half a million United States dollars from her Blue Roof mansion in Borrowdale.
Allen Chinamonya (42), Danmore Chinamonya (35), Samson Karonga and Brighton Bunganirwa (46) were yesterday dragged before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa on allegations of stealing the property which was kept in a secure container.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti said Allen was formerly employed at the Blue Roof Presidential residence as a groundsman and later as a driver from 2004 to 2022.
He said Danmore was also formerly employed as a groundsman and later as a driver during the same period, while Karonga was still employed as an electrician at Blue Roof.
Bunganirwa was also employed as a gardener.
Mutsokoti told the court that sometime in 2018, Grace brought 11 goods containers loaded with various household property to her Blue Roof house.
The property had been removed from Zimbabwe House after former President Robert Mugabe’s retirement.
He said Grace secured the property by locking the container doors, adding that despite such measures, between 2018 and May 2024, the quartet allegedly broke the padlocks securing the container doors.
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The prosecutor said the four gained entry to the containers and stole various household items, television sets, clothes, cutlery and bath towels and went away unnoticed.
On May 22 this year, Grace went to the containers intending to select some artefacts belonging to her late husband with the intention of donating to the African Liberation Museum.
That was when she discovered that some of the locks on the containers were broken while various items were missing.
Mugabe advised Superintendent Kennedy Fero, who made a report at Borrowdale Police Station at the weekend.
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 black and silver television set.
The court heard that police also carried out a search and a navy blue short-sleeved men’s suits 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.
The value of property stolen was US$500 000, while goods worth US$2 000 were recovered.
The quartet is set to make its bail application today.
