Greencroft Widow Loses Home After Suspected Break-in Triggers Blaze
- Chipo Basira
- 22 May, 2026
Greencroft Widow Loses Home After Suspected Break-in Triggers Blaze
A 76-year-old Greencroft resident, Gogo Vaida Murahwa, is homeless after a suspected attempted robbery led to a fire that gutted her house and destroyed everything she owned.
The incident happened in the early hours of May 13, 2026. She said she was woken by noises outside while praying around midnight.
“People were trying to get inside the house, but they could not because of the burglar bars on the windows and doors,” Murahwa said.
After failing to gain entry, the suspects climbed onto the roof and cut the solar and inverter cables. When Murahwa and her daughter opened the room where the battery and inverter were stored, black smoke billowed out and the house was quickly engulfed in flames.
“The fire brigade only came around 12 in the afternoon, way after everything was destroyed,” she said.
The fire left Murahwa and her daughter, who lives with an intellectual disability, with only the clothes they were wearing. Murahwa said the clothes she now has were given by well-wishers. She lost her husband in August 2025 and said she is battling several health conditions, leaving her with no means to rebuild.
The case adds to a string of break-ins and robberies reported in Harare West in recent weeks. Residents and institutions including schools and churches have been targeted by an armed gang. Police say three suspects have been identified on CCTV footage but have not yet been arrested.
Murahwa said she does not know how she will house herself and her daughter going forward. “Who will carry the burden of housing my daughter and me? The chances of rebuilding this house are very slim,” she said.
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