‘We are alarmed': Zimbabwean community in South Africa reacts as Chatunga Mugabe faces prosecution
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, 28, has been arrested and charged with attempted murder following a shooting at a Hyde Park residence.
Image: Timothy Bernard/ Independent Newspapers
The Zimbabwean community in South Africa has expressed concern following the arrest and pending prosecution of Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe.
Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena, chairperson of the Zimbabwe Community in South Africa, told IOL the allegations were deeply troubling.
“As the Zimbabwean community in South Africa, we are alarmed by such allegations. It is believed the son of former president Robert Mugabe shot his worker. It is quite a sad thing for us.
“We wish the injured person a speedy recovery. Secondly, we hope that the South African justice system will pursue this case to the end. We expect that the law will take its course. This is not the first time we have been faced with such. In 2017, her mother was alleged to have assaulted a young lady. We are hoping that the law will take its course without any challenges.”
Chatunga, 28, was arrested alongside another man following a shooting at a Hyde Park residence in Johannesburg in which a 23-year-old employee was critically injured. Both suspects have been charged with attempted murder and are expected to appear in court.
Zimbabwean activist Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena says the community is alarmed by the allegations against Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe and hopes the justice system will proceed without interference.
Image: Facebook
Legal scrutiny in two countries
Chatunga’s legal challenges extend beyond South Africa.
In 2025, he was arrested in Zimbabwe following a violent confrontation at a gold mining concession in Mazowe. He and his co-accused were charged with multiple counts of assault and later granted bail by the Concession Magistrates’ Court. That matter had not been finalised at the time of reporting.
The Zimbabwe case remains separate from the attempted murder charge he now faces in South Africa.
A life of privilege under the spotlight
Chatunga is the youngest son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe and Grace Mugabe.
He grew up at the family’s Harare residence known as the Blue Roof in Borrowdale, a property that became emblematic of elite privilege during Robert Mugabe’s 37-year rule.
In South Africa, Chatunga and his older brother, Robert Mugabe Jr., became associated with Johannesburg’s northern suburbs, including Sandton and Hyde Park. Social media posts over the years depicted luxury vehicles, designer clothing and large amounts of cash.
During the recent police search at the Hyde Park property, SAPS seized a BMW fitted with flashing lights and a siren as part of the investigation.
Echoes of 2017
The current case has revived memories of Grace Mugabe’s own legal controversy in South Africa.
In 2017, Grace Mugabe was accused of assaulting South African model Gabriella Engels in Sandton. The matter escalated into a diplomatic dispute after then Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane granted her diplomatic immunity — a decision later overturned by the High Court.
Grace Mugabe left South Africa shortly thereafter and has not returned.
As the Hyde Park case proceeds, the Zimbabwean community says it expects the legal process to unfold without interference.
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