No Broken Doors, No Forced Lock: Mystery Deepens Over Missing US$150,000

A senior engineer and energy-sector executive is at the centre of a police investigation after US$150,000 in cash allegedly disappeared from a locked trunk at her Ruwa home—without a single visible sign of forced entry.

Engineer Farai Mavhiya-Bhiza, 55, reportedly discovered the money was missing after returning from a business trip to Chegutu. The cash had allegedly been stored inside a trunk in her bedroom.

Police said the theft occurred over the weekend while Mavhiya-Bhiza was away. Her maid, Josephine Mboneka, 33, who had reportedly worked at the property for only three weeks, remained at the house.

Mavhiya-Bhiza arrived home at around 8pm on Sunday but only opened the trunk the following day, when she allegedly discovered that the money had vanished.

What makes the case particularly troubling is the reported absence of forced entry. Police found no damage to the bedroom door or the trunk, raising suspicions that whoever accessed the money may have used a key—or a duplicate.

Harare Provincial Police spokesperson Inspector Luckmore Chakanza confirmed that detectives were investigating.

“Police are investigating an unlawful entry and theft case involving US$150,000 in Ruwa,” Chakanza said.

He added that investigators had found no evidence that the bedroom or trunk had been forcibly opened.

The circumstances leave detectives with a difficult set of questions: Who had access to the property? Who knew the money was there? Was a duplicate key made? And why was such a substantial amount of cash being kept inside a private residence?

The investigation is expected to examine the movements of everyone who had access to the house during Mavhiya-Bhiza’s absence. The garden worker was reportedly off duty over the weekend, while one of her children visited the property. Police have not named any suspects.

The reported loss also raises an uncomfortable question about the scale of Mavhiya-Bhiza’s personal finances: how much is she worth, and why was US$150,000 allegedly being held in cash at home?

That question, however, should not be confused with an allegation of wrongdoing. The theft victim has not been accused of any offence, and the source or intended use of the money has not been publicly established. Whether it was personal funds, business money or cash held on behalf of another party remains a matter for investigators to clarify.

Mavhiya-Bhiza is a prominent figure in Zimbabwe’s engineering and energy sectors. She is the managing director of Chisipo Consultants, president of the Zimbabwe Institution of Engineers and a former chairperson of the Harare Institute of Technology board.

Her professional standing makes the case especially embarrassing—not because she is responsible for the alleged theft, but because the incident highlights a striking gap between public leadership and basic cash-security practices. Keeping a large amount of money in a household trunk creates obvious risks, particularly where several people may have access to the premises.

Police have urged residents and businesses not to store large amounts of cash at home or on their premises.

For now, detectives are working to determine whether the money was taken by someone with legitimate access, whether duplicate keys were involved and how the thieves allegedly knew exactly where the cash was kept. Until those questions are answered, the US$150,000 theft remains not only a serious criminal investigation, but also a case exposing the vulnerabilities behind the wealth and security arrangements of one of Zimbabwe’s high-profile professionals.