Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe's late president, who died in 2019, is accused of shooting and wounding the gardener at his luxury villa in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Johannesburg, South Africa. The victim was hospitalized in critical condition.

The fourth child of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe was arrested for attempted murder on Thursday, February 19, in South Africa. Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, now 28 years old, allegedly shot a housekeeper at his villa in Hyde Park, an upscale neighborhood in the Johannesburg suburbs.

In the South African press, several of the Mugabes' neighbors claim to have heard gunshots, then seen the property's gardener trying to flee. He was being pursued by Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of the former Zimbabwean leader who died in 2019 after ruling the country for 37 years, and his second wife, Grace.

Called to the scene, police, who found ammunition but no firearms during a search of the residence, announced the arrest of two men in connection with a "shooting that occurred earlier in the day in Hyde Park." While the police statement did not specify their identities, the local media outlet IOL published photos showing Bellarmine Mugabe handcuffed and being escorted from his home by law enforcement.

Reputation for being a party animal

According to police – who are still searching for the weapon used in the shooting, reports our correspondent on the scene, Josephine Kloeckner – the gardener was shot after an altercation and taken to the hospital in critical condition. "There will be no preferential treatment," added a spokesperson, confirming that those questioned were "not South African citizens."

Known for their boisterous partying when in Johannesburg, Bellarmine Mugabe and his brother Robert Junior Mugabe are no strangers to run-ins with the police, both in Zimbabwe and South Africa. Just a few months ago, Bellarmine appeared in a Zimbabwean court for assaulting several mine security guards.