The Son Of Zimbabwe's Dictator Has Been Arrested In South Africa.

• 23.02.2026, 16:38

Bellarmine Mugabe is charged with attempted murder.

Bellarmin Mugabe, the youngest son of the late President Robert Mugabe, has been arrested after a shooting in an upscale neighborhood of Johannesburg, South Africa.

28-year-old Bellarmin Mugabe was arrested last week after a 23-year-old man was shot at a house in Johannesburg. He was taken into custody along with his bodyguard. Neither man has commented on the charges, WBC reported.

Police found shell casings during a search of the premises, but no firearms have yet been found.

Prosecutors say Bellarmine Mugabe and his bodyguard are also charged with two additional counts, including obstruction of justice, which is linked to the missing firearm.

The victim is in hospital in critical condition. Local media reported that he is a gardener and the house belongs to the Mugabe family.

The case against the president's son and his bodyguard has been adjourned until March 3, when bail will be applied for.

The former president's two sons by Grace Mugabe, Robert Junior and Bellarmine, sometimes live in Johannesburg.

The Mugabe family has been implicated in a number of criminal cases over the years.

Bellarmine's older brother Chatunga Mugabe, Robert Mugabe Jr, was fined $300 last year after pleading guilty to marijuana possession in Zimbabwe.

And their mother, Grace Mugabe, has been accused of assaulting a model: in 2017, she beat a de woman with an electric cord in the presence of her sons at a luxury Johannesburg hotel. She was Zimbabwe's first lady at the time and was initially ordered to appear in court, but was later granted diplomatic immunity.

Bellarmine is the youngest son of Zimbabwe's 2nd president. Robert Mugabe, who passed away in 2019, led Zimbabwe for 37 years before he was forced to step down at the age of 93 in 2017 during a military coup.