Concession magistrate Mr Joshua Nembaware convicted two soldiers and a District Development Fund (DDF) driver to 15 months Zimbabwe jail for stealing building materials from First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa’s estate.
The soldiers, Tazvitya Kutuka (38) and Perioge Chikuya (46), as well as their collaborator, Tolucky Kambakuku (43), will serve six months in prison after the punishment was conditionally suspended.
Nembaware stated that the convicts betrayed the trust placed in them by the First Lady and showed no respect for her by stealing her property.
The prosecutor stated that the soldiers were deployed at the First Farm in Glendale to supervise the construction of a warehouse and conspired with Kambakuku to steal building materials.
The police arrested Kambakuku, who was caught keeping the stolen property, and he implicated the two soldiers. All the stolen property valued at US$3,238.50 was recovered.
It is not the first instance where robbers have targeted an elite first family in Zimbabwe. In 2019, the state-owned Herald newspaper reported that almost $1m (£914,000) in cash was stolen from a briefcase that belonged to Zimbabwe‘s former President, Robert Mugabe.
Recently, three individuals were brought to court, charged with stealing a suitcase that contained $150,000.
However, as per “updated court documents” reviewed by the Herald, Mr. Mugabe claimed to have lost a considerably larger sum of money.
