HARARE – Four men, accused of stealing household property and cutlery worth US$500,000 from the former First Family’s Blue Roof home in Borrowdale, Harare, will remain in custody after their bail ruling was set for this Thursday.
The four are Allen Chinamonya, 42, Danmore Chinamonya, 35, Samson Karonga and Brighton Bunganirwa, 46 and were employed by former first lady, Grace Mugabe at her mansion.
The State opposed bail on grounds that their accomplices are still at large.
The investigating officer, Oliver Guta also said the group operated as a syndicate; as such, releasing them on bail will jeopardise justice.
“Firstly, when the accused committed the offence, they acted as a syndicate and their accomplices are still at large.
“Most of the property is yet to be recovered and releasing them will jeopardise investigations,” said Guta while opposing bail.
The state also said the suspects could not be easily admitted to bail insisting they were likely to get a custodial sentence if convicted.
The court also heard Bunganirwa was once convicted of theft in 2022.
According to the state, Allen was formerly employed as a groundsman before turning into a driver from the period extending 2004 to 2022.
Danmore was also formerly employed as a groundsman and later into driver over a similar period.
Karonga was still employed as an electrician at the Blue Roof while Bunganirwa was also employed as a gardener.
The prosecutor said sometime in 2018, Grace brought 11 containers loaded with various household properties which were moved from State House following the ouster of the former President in 2017.
The court heard that she secured the property by locking the container doors.
Mutsokoti told the court that despite all the measures to secure the container, from a period extending from 2018 to May 2024, the four acted in connivance to break padlocks securing the container doors.
They went on to steal some various household items which include television sets, clothes, cutlery, bath towels.
The offence was discovered by Grace on May 22 this year after she had visited the containers intending to select pieces of artefacts which once belonged to her late husband for donation to the African Liberation Museum.
The value of property stolen goods was estimated to be US$500,000 and the total value of goods recovered was just US$2,000.
Police detectives conducted searches at Allen Chinamonya’s home where they recovered a cream men’s suit, a white short sleeved men’s suit, a green cover bed, a cream cover bed as well as a black and silver television set.
The court also heard that one navy blue short sleeved men’s suits and one flowery Zanu PF long sleeved shirt was also recovered from Danmore Chinamonya’s home.
The recovered property was positively identified by Grace as part of the goods stolen from the former leader’s belongings, according to prosecutors.
