THREE former employees of Hurungwe Children’s Home in Karoi have appeared in court facing charges of burglary and theft of an assortment of clothing meant for orphaned minors.
Most of the stolen property was donated by wealthy Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa through his philanthropic organisation, Higher Life Foundation.
Tinotenda Rudolph Moraka (37), Arisita Kandengwa (48) and Dorcas Kachikira (58) appeared in court Monday facing unlawful entry charges.
Moraka is a former security guard at the orphanage while Kandengwa and Kachikira are both ex-administrators at the institution which has temporarily closed due to maladministration.
Complainant in the matter is Christine Gundiro who is employed by the Department of Social Welfare as Hurungwe district social development officer.
All three suspects were granted free bail.
The state case is that on 1 April 2021 at around 3pm, complainant got information from one Ezekiel Mashuro, a former inmate of the home, that there was a broken windowpane and burglar bars that were vandalised on the dining room.
The following day, Gundiro went to the orphanage and confirmed that, indeed, there was a break-in and that some property was missing.
She then made a police report at Karoi Urban police station.
Stolen goods included 45 assorted bales of secondhand clothes, 150 assorted bedspreads branded ‘Higher Life Foundation’, 26 assorted blankets and four wooden chairs.
Police investigations led to the recovery of a blanket dumped in a maize field, some 50 metres from the home.
On 3 April, police detectives also recovered 1x50kg of second-hand clothes and one blanket at Moraka’s residence in Chiedza.
On the same date, 5x50kg of pre-owned clothing, four blankets and other accessories were found at Kandengwa’s house in Chikangwe township.
Kachikira was busted while in possession of 4x50kg bales of clothes, two blankets, shoes, among other items at her Chikangwe residence.
The value of the stolen goods is $720 000 and property worth $176 000 was recovered.
The trio was represented by Unite Size of Size Law Chambers.