The youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late former president Robert Mugabe was arrested in South Africa on Thursday after allegedly shooting his gardener during an altercation at his house in Johannesburg’s Hyde Park.
Gauteng police said officers responded to reports of gunfire at Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe’s house and found a 23‑year‑old man bleeding from a gunshot wound.
The victim, identified as a gardener at the residence, was rushed to hospital where he remains in critical condition.
Police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed that Mugabe, 28, and another man aged 33 were taken into custody.
A spent cartridge was recovered at the scene, and a police dog unit was deployed to search for the missing firearm.
“The victim is a gardener and apparently he did not come to work for some time and there was an altercation regarding that. The victim was shot once,” Nevhuhulwi told journalists.
Although police have not formally released his name, reporters at the scene saw Mugabe in handcuffs and South African media widely identified him as one of the suspects.
Bellarmine Mugabe has previously made headlines for brushes with the law in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.
In Zimbabwe, he was arrested twice in 2023 – first for disorderly conduct at a police roadblock and later for allegedly leading a group of armed men in an assault on illegal gold panners encroaching on the family’s Mazowe farm.
South African police say Mugabe and his co‑accused are expected to appear in court soon on charges of attempted murder.
JN/APA