Police in South Africa have arrested Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late former President Robert Mugabe, in connection with a shooting in an upmarket Johannesburg suburb and are now pursuing an attempted murder charge in the case.
The 28‑year‑old was taken into custody after a 23‑year‑old man, believed to be a gardener, was shot and injured during an incident at a property in Hyde Park, a well‑to‑do residential area of the South African city.
The victim was wounded by gunfire and remains in hospital in critical condition, according to police, as investigators continue to piece together the circumstances of the shooting.
Officers conducting a search of the Hyde Park house where Bellarmine Mugabe had been staying said they found bullet cartridges but no firearm. Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said authorities are still trying to locate the weapon and that the suspects have not cooperated on that point.
“The two suspects have not ‘told us where the gun is, they are not saying anything about the gun,’” Nevhuhulwi said in a briefing outside the property. At least one other man was also arrested alongside Mugabe in connection with the investigation, and a police statement said the pair are expected to “appear in court soon.”
Police have not yet officially named Bellarmine Mugabe as one of those arrested, but reporters at the scene saw him in handcuffs, and he has been widely identified by local media outlets as the 28‑year‑old accused in the shooting.
Bellarmine Mugabe is the youngest son of Robert and Grace Mugabe. His father, Robert Mugabe, was a towering figure in Zimbabwe’s post‑independence history and led the country for 37 years before being forced out of power in 2017 at the age of 93.
Mugabe’s long rule was marked by both liberation credentials and deep controversy over his later years in office. He died in 2019. Grace Mugabe, his second wife, also played a prominent role in Zimbabwe’s political landscape during her husband’s tenure.
The younger Mugabe’s arrest in South Africa, a neighbouring country where many Zimbabweans live and work, comes amid significant attention from both local and international media because of his family’s profile and the serious nature of the charge he faces.
As investigations proceed, police are maintaining a measured public stance, offering limited detail while urging patience as they work to establish exactly what happened and secure additional evidence.