Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe Arrested for Attempted Murder in Hyde Park Shooting

Johannesburg, South Africa

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former president Robert Mugabe, and another man are expected to appear shortly in Alexandra Magistrate's Court on charges of attempted murder following the shooting of a 23-year-old employee at an upmarket Hyde Park residence in Johannesburg on Thursday, February 19, South African police have confirmed.

In a statement late yesterday, February 19, the South African Police Service (SAPS) Gauteng Province said the two suspects initially taken in for questioning after the incident, had been formally arrested.

Investigations are continuing, they said, with forensic teams, the K9 unit, and divers still searching the property and surrounding areas for the firearm used in the shooting.

Bullet casings were recovered at the scene, but the weapon was not yet recovered by end of day.

The victim, described by police as an employee at the residence and widely reported in local media as a gardener, was shot and rushed to hospital, reports say.

His condition was initially described as critical, with reports indicating he sustained at least one gunshot wound, though some accounts mentioned two.

The shooting occurred during what police and witnesses described as an altercation, reportedly stemming from a dispute over the employee's absence from work.

Police responded to the Hyde Park address in the upmarket suburb after reports of the incident.

The suspects, aged 28 and 33 according to initial SAPS statements, with some local South African media outlets identifying Bellarmine as 28 or 29, allegedly barricaded themselves briefly, prompting the involvement of the SAPS Special Task Force and hostage negotiators.

Bellarmine was later seen in handcuffs being led away by officers.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, often known simply as Chatunga, is the youngest child of the late President Robert Mugabe and his widow, former first lady Grace Mugabe.

He has resided intermittently in Johannesburg, where he has gained attention for a high-profile lifestyle and past controversies.

The incident is not the first reported brush with the law for the 28-year-old.

In July 2025, Bellarmine was arrested in Zimbabwe and arraigned before the courts on July 1, 2025, charged with grievous bodily harm after allegedly leading a group of armed men, some reportedly carrying AK-47s, in a violent assault on security guards at Ultimate Mining in Mazowe, near Harare, located close to their family property.

One guard was critically injured; a victim later claimed in media interviews to have been hit with a gun.

Bellarmine reportedly threatened police during the response, claiming high-level protection.

In August 2024, he was arrested at a security checkpoint in Bubi, near Beitbridge on the Zimbabwe-South Africa border, after allegedly becoming impatient during routine vehicle checks.

Zimbabwean police and court records said Chatunga reportedly shouted at officers, manhandled one by grabbing his collar and tearing shirt buttons, and was found in possession of a flick knife.

He faced charges of disorderly conduct, assault on a police officer and illegal possession of a weapon.

 He was remanded out of custody pending trial and later released on bail.

The 2024 Beitbridge episode drew parallels to earlier reports from around the time of his father's 2017 ouster, when Chatunga was linked, though not formally charged, to allegations of involvement in money laundering schemes benefiting from the family's wealth.

No motive has been officially confirmed beyond the reported workplace dispute, and police have stressed that investigations remain ongoing.