Robert Mugabe's Son Faces Attempted Murder Charges in Johannesburg Shooting
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the 28-year-old son of the late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, appeared in a Johannesburg court on Monday for a brief hearing alongside co-accused Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze. The younger Mugabe has been charged with attempted murder after a 23-year-old man was allegedly shot in the back on February 19 in Hyde Park, an upmarket suburb of Johannesburg where South African president Cyril Ramaphosa also resides.
Lavish Lifestyle and Legal Troubles
Mugabe and his older brother Robert Junior gained notoriety in the 2010s for flaunting their extravagant lifestyles on social media. In 2017, Bellarmine posted an Instagram photo of his watch with the caption: "$60,000 on the wrist when your daddy run the whole country ya know!!!" followed by a video showing him dousing the timepiece with champagne.
During Monday's hearing, state prosecutors revealed the firearm allegedly used in the shooting has not been recovered and investigations remain ongoing. Mugabe's lawyer, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, declined to comment on whether the two accused are related but confirmed he will request bail at the next hearing scheduled for March 3.
Multiple Charges Filed
National prosecuting authority spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole detailed additional charges against both men including obstructing justice, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, contraventions of the Immigration Act on suspicion of being in South Africa illegally, and theft.
"After [the alleged victim] got shot, he tried to flee. He went outside of the gate and then he fell. After falling, one of the accused went and took the remote [for the gate] from him," Mohlatlole explained regarding the theft charge.
Victim's Condition and Arrest Details
Police spokesperson Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi told national broadcaster SABC that the shooting victim remains hospitalized under police guard. When authorities arrested Mugabe and Matonhodze, they initially believed the victim was an employee at the Hyde Park residence where the incident occurred.
Mugabe Family Legacy
Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for nearly four decades until being deposed in a 2017 coup, dying two years later at age 95. While initially celebrated for ending white minority rule, his tenure ultimately descended into tyranny and corruption, marked by hyperinflation and economic collapse.
His widow Grace Mugabe, 40 years his junior, earned the nickname "Gucci Grace" for her expensive tastes and reported property acquisitions across Johannesburg, Singapore, Dubai, and Malaysia. She avoided prosecution in South Africa in 2017 by invoking diplomatic immunity after model Gabriella Engels accused her of assault with an electric cable.
Robert Junior faced his own legal issues in 2023, arrested for allegedly causing £10,000 in property damage at a Harare party and fined last year for cannabis possession while driving the wrong way on a one-way street.
