The youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late former President Robert Mugabe has been arrested following a shooting at his upscale Johannesburg residence that left a 23-year-old gardener in critical condition, South African police said Thursday.
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, 29, was taken into custody after what authorities describe as a “heated altercation” at the Hyde Park property that escalated into gunfire. A second man, aged 33, was also detained for questioning.
The victim, employed as a gardener at the residence, was rushed to the hospital with gunshot wounds. Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed he is in a critical condition.
“We were stopped by security who indicated that there was a shooting in this house,” Nevhuhulwi told reporters at the scene. “Our members had to knock in order to gain entry. They arrived earlier and the occupants did not want to come outside at first, but eventually police gained access”.
The Scene
Police forensic teams, K9 units, and detectives descended on the luxurious Hyde Park property Thursday afternoon. Investigators recovered a cartridge from the yard but have not yet located the firearm believed used in the shooting.
“The motive for the shooting is unknown at this stage and investigations are under way,” Nevhuhulwi said.
Initial reports suggested a labor dispute may have preceded the violence. “It was alleged that the gardener did not come to work and there was some sort of a squabble,” the spokesperson said. “Those are the reports we received, and that will form part of our investigation as we unravel what actually happened and what led to the shooting”.
Despite early reports that Mugabe had barricaded himself, police confirmed both suspects are cooperating.
The Mugabe Name
Bellarmine is the youngest son of Robert Mugabe, Zimbabwe’s founding leader who ruled for 37 years before being ousted in a 2017 military takeover at age 93. He died in 2019.
His mother, Grace Mugabe, was herself at the center of a Johannesburg scandal in 2017 when she allegedly assaulted a young model with an electric cable at a Sandton hotel. She was granted diplomatic immunity—a decision later set aside by the South Gauteng High Court.
This is not Bellarmine’s first brush with the law. In June 2025, he was implicated in an alleged assault at a mining site in Mazowe, Zimbabwe, where a security guard and other employees sustained serious injuries during a confrontation involving armed men. He was arrested alongside two bodyguards and released on bail. In 2023, South African media reported he was accused of assault following an altercation at a Sandton nightclub.
He has also drawn public scrutiny for flaunting luxury vehicles and large sums of cash on social media while living in South Africa.
What Happens Next
Police are investigating the case as attempted murder. The two suspects are expected to be formally charged once preliminary inquiries are completed.
For now, the focus remains on the young gardener fighting for his life in a Johannesburg hospital. His name has not been released. His family has not been publicly identified. He is, in the official accounts, simply “the victim”—a 23-year-old employee who went to work at a wealthy man’s house and ended up shot, critical, and clinging to survival.
The Mugabe name guarantees this story will not fade quietly. But for one family in Johannesburg, the only name that matters is the one they are praying survives the night.
