The name Mugabe has once again become synonymous with violence and controversy in South Africa. In a scene that felt like a high-stakes action movie, the exclusive suburb of Hyde Park in Johannesburg was turned into a battlefield on 19 February 2026. Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the 29-year-old youngest son of the late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, was arrested after a bloody shootout and a tense hostage standoff at his luxury residence. The incident, which left a security guard fighting for his life, is a grim reminder that despite the death of the patriarch, the “first family” remains a volatile presence in the region.
The midday chaos began with what witnesses described as a “furious argument” between Chatunga and a security guard employed to protect the multi-million-rand property. As the dispute escalated, Chatunga allegedly drew a firearm and opened fire, striking the guard multiple times. While the victim was rushed to a local hospital in a critical condition, Chatunga barricaded himself inside a room, refusing to surrender to the South African Police Service (SAPS). It took hours of negotiation, with specialist hostage units racing to the scene, before the son of the former dictator was finally led away in handcuffs.
A Legacy of “Extension Cord” Justice
This latest outburst of violence is part of a disturbing family tradition. To understand the depth of the “Mugabe problem” in South Africa, one must look back to August 2017, an incident that remains one of the most scandalous diplomatic failures in the country’s history. Grace Mugabe, then the First Lady of Zimbabwe, was accused of a brutal assault on a young South African model, Gabriella Engels, in a luxury hotel room in Sandton.
Engels, who was 20 at the time, claimed she was attacked with an electric extension cord after Grace found her in the company of her sons, Robert Jr. and Chatunga. The images of Engels’ gashed forehead went viral, sparking international outrage. However, instead of facing justice, Grace Mugabe was whisked away under a cloud of controversy. Her husband, Robert Mugabe, reportedly intervened at the highest diplomatic levels, pressuring the South African government to grant his wife diplomatic immunity.
The intervention worked. Despite a “red alert” being placed on the borders, Grace was allowed to flee South Africa in the middle of the night on a private jet. She later claimed she had acted in self-defence, stating in her court papers:
“The accused person [Engels] was intoxicated and unhinged, and I had to protect my sons from her violent outburst. She attacked me with a knife, and I had to use whatever was at hand to defend myself and my children.”
Engels and her legal team, supported by the rights group AfriForum, have fought for years to have that immunity overturned. In 2018, a South African court finally ruled that the immunity was unconstitutional, and an arrest warrant was officially issued for Grace Mugabe. To this day, the case remains unresolved, and legal experts believe that Grace has never set foot back in South Africa for fear of immediate arrest. The “extension cord” incident remains a festering wound in the relationship between the two nations, a symbol of how the Mugabes viewed themselves as being above the laws of any land.
The “Untouchable” Syndrome: From Sandton to Hyde Park
The Hyde Park shooting proves that the apple does not fall far from the tree. Chatunga Mugabe has seemingly inherited the belief that he can operate outside the law. His history is a litany of violent encounters and legal skirmishes that suggest a man who believes his surname is a shield.
“The accused persons charged towards us and started beating us with wooden logs and iron bars. They altogether assaulted me with open hands and fists before I fell. They stomped on me several times whilst I was lying down, accusing me of harbouring illegal miners on land they claimed belonged to them.”
Even when faced with the police, Chatunga’s arrogance has been on full display. During a roadblock in Beitbridge in September 2024, he reportedly brandished a knife at a police officer who asked for his papers, shouting:
“Do you know who I am? You are delaying me for the fourth time. I am rushing to a wedding in Harare, check my passport, don’t you know who I am?”
This “Do you know who I am?” attitude is exactly what led to the standoff in Hyde Park. Sources suggest the argument with the guard may have started over something as trivial as a refusal to open a gate or a dispute over unpaid wages. In Chatunga’s world, a disagreement is not a conversation; it is an invitation to violence.
The Hidden Funding of a Fugitive Lifestyle
The most pressing question for investigators now is how the Mugabes continue to fund their opulent lifestyle in South Africa while the family matriarch remains a fugitive from justice. The Hyde Park villa, the private security, and the luxury vehicles all require a massive influx of foreign currency.
During Robert Mugabe’s 37-year reign, it was widely believed that billions of dollars were externalised through a network of “trusted lieutenants” and shell companies. The South African authorities are now looking into whether the assets in Hyde Park are the proceeds of this “stolen fortune.” There is a growing suspicion that the family is using South Africa as a safe haven for their ill-gotten gains, even as they treat the country’s citizens with violent contempt.
The victim of the Hyde Park shooting, a man hired to protect a family that has shown nothing but disregard for the law, remains in a critical condition. His plight highlights the tragic irony of the Mugabe legacy: they surround themselves with people for protection, only to turn their weapons on the very people they rely on.
The End of the Dynasty’s Immunity
For years, the Mugabes used the “philosophical approach” of their father—a mix of revolutionary rhetoric and state-sponsored fear—to keep themselves out of trouble. But that era is over. The “Hyde Park Siege” may finally be the moment where the name Mugabe loses its power to intimidate the South African justice system.
As anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee noted during the standoff:
“It is believed that the son of the late & former Zimbabwe President, Robert Mugabe, opened fire on the guard. He locked himself in a room and is refusing to open. Police hostage negotiators are racing to the scene. This is a high-stakes situation involving a suspect who clearly believes he is above the law.”
The fall of the House of Mugabe is a documentary-like tragedy of power and privilege. From Grace’s extension cord to Chatunga’s firearm, the family has left a trail of victims across Southern Africa. As the guard fights for his life and Chatunga sits in a jail cell, the unresolved warrant for Grace Mugabe still hangs over the family like a dark cloud. The “Mugabes are at it again,” but this time, the world is watching, and the “untouchable” status they once enjoyed has finally run out.
The investigation into the shooting continues, and the South African public is demanding that this time, there will be no secret flights in the middle of the night, no “diplomatic interventions,” and no more “extension cord justice.” The era of the Mugabes being above the law must come to a definitive and legal end.
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