19.02.2026 23:01
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the son of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, has reportedly been arrested on charges of attempted murder following a shooting incident in Johannesburg, South Africa. This development has reignited discussions regarding the diplomatic immunity granted to the Mugabe family in South Africa.
It has been reported that Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, son of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, was detained on charges of attempted murder following an armed attack in Johannesburg, South Africa.
SHOT THE GARDENER
Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, Police Spokesperson for Gauteng province, stated in a press release that Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe was detained for attempted murder after attacking a gardener working at a residence in the upscale neighborhood of Hyde Park in Johannesburg.
Nevhuhulwi expressed that the severely injured gardener was taken to the hospital, stating that the exact cause of the attack has not yet been determined and that the investigation is ongoing.
DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY DEBATE
The Mugabe family has previously been in the spotlight due to various assault allegations and legal issues in both Zimbabwe and South Africa. Grace Mugabe, wife of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, was tried for allegedly assaulting model Gabriella Engels at a luxury hotel in Sandton in 2017, but the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation granted her diplomatic immunity.
As a result of objections from the then main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), and various civil society organizations, the Gauteng High Court annulled Grace Mugabe's immunity decision in 2018. This situation has brought the debate on diplomatic immunity back to the forefront following the detention of Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe.
OVERTHROWN BY MILITARY COUP
Having ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years as Prime Minister and President since the country's independence in 1980, Mugabe resigned from his position following a military coup in 2017. After Mugabe passed away at the age of 95 in Singapore in 2019, where he was receiving treatment, his body was buried in his hometown of Kutama, located 90 kilometers from the capital Harare, by his family.