A Rainbow Towers Hotel waitress and a self-employed man have appeared in court over allegations that US$1,500 went missing from a conference room during a Youth Ensemble workshop.
Getrude Kachingwe, 49, and Malvin Lawrence Chimanga appeared before Harare magistrate Tapiwa Kuhudzai facing theft charges.
They were granted bail and remanded to September 8, 2026, for trial.
The complainant is Chinhamora Pillay Takudzwa, a project coordinator with Youth Ensemble.
The State alleges that Takudzwa arrived at Rainbow Towers on August 18 with 45 other Youth Ensemble workers for an SP3 planning workshop.
At around 1pm, Takudzwa reportedly told Kachingwe that the delegates were going for lunch and asked her to lock the conference room, where laptops and personal belongings had been left.
Prosecutors allege Kachingwe told him there was no need to lock the room because she intended to clean it and would look after the belongings.
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The court heard that shortly after the delegates left, Chimanga allegedly entered the conference room and posed as one of the workshop participants.
He allegedly sat down, used a laptop and appeared to be working before asking Kachingwe to bring him food.
Kachingwe allegedly left the room to collect the food, leaving Chimanga alone inside. She returned at around 1.50pm and handed him the food.
When Takudzwa returned from lunch, he discovered that US$1,500, which he had allegedly been carrying for distribution to delegates as transport allowances, was missing from his satchel.
The matter was reported to the hotel's Risk Department.
According to the State, CCTV footage showed Kachingwe and Chimanga as the only people who entered the conference room during the period the money went missing.
A police report was subsequently filed at Harare Central, leading to the arrest of the two accused.
The US$1,500 has not been recovered.
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