Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the 28-year-old son of late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, has been arrested following the shooting of a gardener at his Hyde Park residence in Johannesburg .
Police were alerted by private security after reports of gunfire on Thursday afternoon. The 23-year-old victim was rushed to hospital in critical condition after sustaining a single gunshot wound .
Authorities recovered a cartridge at the scene and are still searching for the firearm. Mugabe and a 24-year-old suspect were taken into custody after initially refusing officers access to the property .
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi told media at the scene that the two suspects have not been cooperative. “They have not told us where the gun is. We cannot definitely say who shot,” she said .
Early information suggests an alleged labour dispute between the gardener and one of the suspects may have led to the violent exchange, though the motive remains unclear .
Mugabe was seen in handcuffs in the driveway as officers from the K9 unit and forensic teams processed the scene . The property in the upmarket Johannesburg suburb has been linked to the Mugabe family, who have spent extended periods in South Africa since Robert Mugabe’s removal from power in 2017 .
History of Legal Troubles
The arrest adds to a string of legal troubles facing the former first family. In June 2025, Chatunga was implicated in an alleged assault at a mining site in Mazowe, Zimbabwe, where a security guard and other employees were seriously injured during a confrontation involving armed men. He was arrested along with two bodyguards and released on bail .
In 2023, South African media reported that Chatunga was accused of assault following an altercation at a Sandton nightclub, though the outcome was not publicly disclosed .
His older brother, Robert Mugabe Jr., was fined $300 last year after admitting to possession of marijuana in Zimbabwe .
Their mother, Grace Mugabe, was accused of assaulting a model by beating her with an electrical cord at a luxury Johannesburg hotel in 2017 while her sons were present. She was initially ordered to appear in court before being granted diplomatic immunity as Zimbabwe’s first lady at the time . In 2018, the South Gauteng High Court set aside the decision to grant her diplomatic immunity after rights group AfriForum and the Democratic Alliance challenged it .
Legal Proceedings
Family lawyer Ashley Mugiya, based in Zimbabwe, confirmed that lawyers in South Africa would represent Chatunga in the case . Both suspects are likely to face charges of attempted murder, though formal charges are expected once preliminary inquiries are completed .
The victim remains in hospital in critical condition .
