South African police have arrested the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late former president, Robert Mugabe, in connection with an alleged attempted murder following a reported shooting at a luxury property in Johannesburg.
Bellarmine Mugabe, aged 28, was taken into custody after a 23-year-old man, believed to be a gardener, was shot and seriously wounded during the incident. The shooting is reported to have taken place at a residence in Hyde Park, an affluent suburb of Johannesburg.
According to police, officers who searched the house where Bellarmine Mugabe had been staying recovered spent bullet cartridges. However, no firearm was found at the scene.
Bellarmine Mugabe is the youngest child of Robert Mugabe and his second wife, Grace Mugabe. Robert Mugabe, who died in 2019, ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years before being forced from office in 2017 at the age of 93.
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed that a second man has also been arrested in connection with the investigation. She said officers are continuing their inquiries and that both suspects are expected to appear in court “soon”.
Although police have not formally named Bellarmine Mugabe as one of those arrested, journalists at the scene reported seeing him in handcuffs, and local media outlets have widely identified him as the suspect in custody.
The injured man remains in hospital and is in critical condition after being shot once, according to police.
Speaking to reporters outside the property, Colonel Nevhuhulwi said investigators had not yet been able to recover the weapon used in the shooting. “The two suspects have not told us where the gun is,” she said. “They are not saying anything about the gun.”
