Crimes and Courts
HARARE – A Harare maid and gardener have been remanded in custody after appearing in court over the alleged theft of over US$80,000 in cash and valuables from their employer’s Borrowdale residence.
Sarah Matemarunda (59) and Milton Mudimu stand accused of orchestrating a daring heist at the home of businessman Gift Mzilikazi.
The pair allegedly ripped a wall-mounted digital safe directly from his bedroom wall before fleeing with a large sum of cash in multiple currencies, ammunition, and travel documents.
The duo appeared before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzayi over the weekend. Their bail hearing was postponed to Wednesday to allow the state time to prepare its case, with the court also citing a backlog of cases.
Prosecutors outlined that Mzilikazi had left for his farm at midday, only to return the following day to find his bedroom door unlocked and the safe completely missing. The stolen property is reported to have included US$80,400, R4,000, 300 Yuan, 200 Dirhams, 100 Rupees, £30, an unspecified amount of ammunition, and several passports.
“The evidence against the accused is overwhelming and we are opposing bail on the grounds that they are a flight risk,” a state prosecutor told the court.
“One of the accused already attempted to flee the country illegally.”
The case took a turn when police discovered the empty safe dumped in the boot of a car belonging to Mzilikazi’s son. Passports and ammunition were recovered from it.
Investigators then tracked down Matemarunda, who led them to a portion of the stolen cash allegedly hidden in her wardrobe.
She surrendered US$12,391, R1,360, £10, 50 Rupees, 5 Dirhams, and 100 Yuan. She subsequently implicated her co-accused, Mudimu.
“Through forensic investigation and information from the community, we were able to quickly identify the suspects and recover a significant amount of the stolen property,” a police spokesperson commented.
Mudimu was later arrested in South Africa, where he had allegedly crossed the border illegally. In a twist, he has pointed the finger back at Matemarunda and also accused some of Mzilikazi’s relatives who live near the border of being involved in the plot.
Both Matemarunda and Mudimu remain in custody at Harare Central Police Station awaiting their bail ruling this Wednesday.
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