Inside the Mugabe Mansion Shooting: What Really Happened… Chatunga Bellarmine collapses twice in police cells

JOHANNESBURG — For decades, the name Mugabe was synonymous with an iron-fisted rule that defined a nation. But today, the latest chapter of this once-mighty Zimbabwean dynasty is being written not in the grand halls of Harare’s State House, but within the sterile, cold confines of a South African police cell and the wood-panelled courtrooms of Johannesburg. Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the 28-year-old youngest son of the late Robert Mugabe, now finds himself at the centre of a chilling attempted murder investigation that has laid bare the messy decline of a family that once seemed untouchable.

The scene at the Mugabe property in the leafy, affluent suburb of Hyde Park was one of absolute chaos when the South African Police Service (SAPS) arrived. What began as a heated dispute ended in gunfire, leaving a 23-year-old gardener wounded and a high-profile investigation in its wake. Yet, as our investigative team has discovered, the shooting is merely the tip of a much larger iceberg, involving missing evidence, mysterious medical emergencies, and a desperate “cleanup crew” that may have tampered with the scene before the first siren was heard.

The Shooting in Broad Daylight

The victim, a young man employed to tend the grounds of the Mugabe mansion, was reportedly shot twice in the back in broad daylight. Despite the brazen nature of the attack, the primary weapon—the handgun used in the shooting—remains missing. This glaring hole in the evidence has led to intense speculation among investigators about a sophisticated “cleanup” operation.

When Gauteng police returned to the Hyde Park residence armed with a search-and-seizure warrant, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Bellarmine was transported back to the property in the back of a marked police van, his presence required as officers meticulously searched for the missing firearm. K-9 units and divers were deployed, and investigators targeted several safes inside the house, suspecting the weapon and other key exhibits might be concealed within.

However, the police ultimately left empty-handed. To date, only a single cartridge has been recovered from the scene. “We haven’t given up on the gun. We are working around the clock to find it,” a senior police officer close to the investigation confirmed. The officer further alleged: “We suspect that those who first responded to the scene—friends of Bellarmine—before our arrival could have tampered with it and might know where key exhibits are.”

A Medical Crisis in the Cells

The drama shifted from the Hyde Park mansion to the Bramley police station, where Bellarmine was detained. News24 understands that the young Mugabe collapsed twice while in custody—once on Thursday night and again in the early hours of Friday morning. While his legal team, led by Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, has remained largely tight-lipped, the incidents have sparked a fierce debate: is this a genuine medical crisis or a calculated move to avoid interrogation?

A senior police officer confirmed the collapses, stating: “We swiftly attended to him. He has revealed to us his medical condition. We immediately informed his lawyers and those close to him to quickly bring in his medication.” Family associates were observed pleading with police on Friday morning to allow them access to the property to retrieve his medication.

“He is not well. He has lived with a medical condition since he was a child,” one associate, who requested anonymity, said. Another family insider offered a more sinister explanation, alleging that when Bellarmine was younger, there were attempts to poison him, resulting in a chronic condition that requires daily medication for survival. “He can’t eat before taking his medication. He survives on those medications,” the source added.

The “Brat Pack” and the Seized BMW

The investigation has also cast a spotlight on the high-profile, “brat-pack” lifestyle Bellarmine and his brother, Robert Mugabe Jr., have led in Sandton. Long known for their penchant for expensive champagne, luxury cars, and wild parties, the Mugabe brothers have often been viewed as a law unto themselves.

This sense of entitlement was perhaps best illustrated by the seizure of Bellarmine’s black BMW sedan. The vehicle was intercepted by police as it attempted to leave the Hyde Park property. Inside were two men and the family’s domestic worker. Crucially, the car was fitted with illegal police sirens—a common tool used by the elite to bypass Johannesburg’s notorious traffic. Investigators also noted that the car’s original colour was orange, but it had been recently resprayed black, further raising suspicions about the family’s activities.

The Shadow of Grace Mugabe

While her son languishes in a South African cell, the “Iron Lady” of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe, remains conspicuously absent. Believed to be living in Singapore, the former First Lady is reportedly paralysed by the fear of arrest should she return to South Africa.

Her legal troubles stem from a 2017 incident at a luxury hotel in Sandton, where she allegedly assaulted a young model, Gabriella Engels, with an electrical extension cord. At the time, the South African government granted her diplomatic immunity, allowing her to flee the country in the dead of night. However, that immunity was later overturned by a South African court, leaving an active arrest warrant hanging over her head.

The irony is profound: a mother who once wielded absolute power is now unable to support her son during his darkest hour, trapped by the very legal shadows she once thought she could outrun. The “strange silence” from the Mugabe family estate speaks volumes about the isolation of a dynasty in decline.

A History of Controversy

The Hyde Park shooting is not an isolated incident but rather the latest in a long string of controversies involving the Mugabe children. Their history in South Africa is marked by a trail of “unacceptable behaviour” and legal skirmishes:

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