Grace Mugabe Weeps In Court
Former First Lady Grace Mugabe reportedly broke down in court when presented with belongings of her late husband, Robert Mugabe, during the theft trial of her former employees, reported NewZimbabwe.com.
The trial is taking place at the Harare Magistrates Court, involving five defendants: Tendai Nyamudze, Allen Chinamonya, Danmore Chinamonya, Samson Karonga, and Brighton Bunganirwa.
The accused are alleged to have stolen various items, including an old plated table fork, a pictorial book titled “Robert Mugabe at 90”, welcome remarks from Mugabe’s speech at the 1994 National People’s Congress, a discussion paper from a Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting, and a collection of handbags and other personal effects.
Grace claims the total value of the stolen items is approximately US$3.5 million, while the court documents state a value of US$500,000.
Her emotional breakdown during the presentation of the items led the magistrate to adjourn the proceedings temporarily.
Grace recounted that in 2017, her family moved from an old house owned by the ruling ZANU PF party to their new residence, Blue Roof, using four containers to store their belongings.
She told the court that she became aware of the alleged theft in 2022, after returning from Singapore and being informed by her brother, Winston Marufu, which prompted her to file a police report.
Grace disputed the defendants’ claims that the items were gifts from her husband. She said:
In May, I noticed that the containers had been ransacked and many items were missing, although I can’t recall every single item that was taken. One of the accused was caught red-handed with chest drawers.
She asserted that the former president had not given gifts to these workers, especially when other dedicated employees of more than 30 years had not received such perks.
Grace identified one of the accused persons based on their history of theft during her employment.
Prosecuting, Oscar Madhume, alleged that on May 22, 2024, Grace inspected the containers storing artefacts belonging to her late husband for donation to the African Liberation Museum, only to discover that several locks were broken and numerous items were missing.
After filing a police report, an investigation led to the recovery of goods valued at approximately US$2,000, which included two men’s suits and a Sony television, from Allen and Danmore.
Karonga was arrested at the scene while loitering and reportedly had difficulty providing satisfactory explanations during police questioning.
It was noted that Brighton Bunganirwa had a previous conviction for a similar offence against Grace in 2022.
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