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. Herald
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