Staff ReporterFour former employees of Grace Mugabe have appeared in court accused of stealing household items worth $500,000 from the late Robert Mugabe’s Blue Roof mansion in Borrowdale, Harare.
Allen Chinamonya, 42, Danmore Chinamonya, 35, Samson Karonga, and Brighton Bunganirwa, 46, are charged with theft. They appeared before Harare magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa and are set to apply for bail on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Lancelot Mutsokoti told the court that Allen Chinamonya was initially a groundsman before becoming a driver between 2004 and 2022. Danmore Chinamonya followed a similar path. Karonga worked as an electrician at Blue Roof, while Bunganirwa was a gardener.
In 2018, following Robert Mugabe’s ouster, Grace Mugabe moved 11 containers of household goods from State House to Blue Roof, securing them with padlocks. Between 2018 and May 2024, the four men allegedly conspired to break into the containers and steal items including TVs, clothes, cutlery, and bath towels.
Grace Mugabe discovered the theft on 22 May while selecting artifacts for donation to the African Liberation Museum. The theft was reported to Borrowdale police on 25 May.
While the stolen items were valued at $500,000, police recovered only $2,000 worth of goods. Searches at Allen Chinamonya’s home yielded a cream suit, a white short-sleeved suit, a green bed cover, a cream bed cover, and a black and silver TV. At Danmore Chinamonya’s home, a navy blue short-sleeved suit and a Zanu PF long-sleeved shirt were found. Grace Mugabe identified the recovered items as part of the stolen property.
The case continues as the investigation unfolds.
