Writes Kelvin Wilson Kasiwulaya
JOHANNESBURG – South African police on Thursday night continued their search for a missing firearm at the luxury Johannesburg home of Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of the late Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, following his arrest for attempted murder.
Chatunga, 28, was taken into custody on Thursday after a shooting incident at his residence in the upmarket suburb of Hyde Park left a 23-year-old employee in critical condition.
The South African Police Service (SAPS) said the shooting followed an altercation between Chatunga and his gardener. According to police reports, the dispute began when the employee returned to the property after an unauthorized absence from work.
“The suspect allegedly produced a firearm and shot the victim following a heated argument,” a SAPS spokesperson told the Daily Maverick. “The victim was transported to a local hospital in a critical condition.”
Specialist units, including K9 officers and police divers, were deployed to the property on Friday. Investigators focused their search on the estate’s swimming pool and grounds after recovering a spent cartridge but failing to locate the handgun used in the shooting.
Witnesses at the scene described a tense standoff on Thursday afternoon, reporting that Chatunga initially barricaded himself inside a room and refused to surrender until tactical officers moved in to breach the area. He was eventually led away in handcuffs alongside a 33-year-old associate.
The arrest marks a significant escalation in the legal troubles of the Mugabe family. Chatunga has faced several run-ins with the law over the past 18 months, including a September 2024 arrest at the Beitbridge border post for allegedly assaulting a police officer, and a July 2025 incident involving a violent dispute at a mine in Mazowe, Zimbabwe.
Chatunga’s mother, former First Lady Grace Mugabe, has not travelled to South Africa following the arrest. She remains subject to an outstanding arrest warrant in the country stemming from a 2017 assault allegation involving a South African model.
Chatunga is expected to make his first appearance at the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court early next week to face a formal charge of attempted murder.