(FILES) The second son to the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, Bellarmine Mugabe, sit in a military helicopter next to his mother Grace (R) accompanying the casket with remains of Mugabe as they leave the Blue Roof mansion on September 12, 2019 for public viewing, to the Rufaro Stadium in Harare. The youngest son of former Zimbabwean ruler Robert Mugabe was in police custody after a gardener was shot at his South Africa home on Thursday, media reported. Police said they were investigating a case of attempted murder after the shooting in a wealthy suburb north of Johannesburg and had taken two men in for questioning. A police spokeswoman declined to identify the men but several South African media outlets reported that one of them was Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe. (Photo by ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)
It might be six years since controversial former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe died, but his family still can’t keep out of the headlines.
A shooting at the Mugabe home in Johannesburg on Thursday saw the late politician’s son, Chatunga Bellarmine Mugabe, and another suspect, now reported to be his bodyguard, arrested on attempted murder charges.
Police said preliminary investigations suggested a labour dispute between the gardener and one of the suspects may have led to the incident.
It was initially reported that Mugabe barricaded himself in his room after the shooting, but later cooperated with police.
While a cartridge was found on the scene, police were not able to find the gun used in the crime. The house remained under lockdown since the incident, and searches for the firearm seem to have so far drawn a blank.
He shot himself?
Sources told City Press that Mugabe told the cops that the person shot was not a gardener but a security guard, and the man had shot himself. This, amid reports that the victim was shot in the back twice.
Mugabe further alleged that the dispute was because he had fired the guard for performing traditional rituals on the property.
He alleged the gun is missing because the guard came with accomplices, who were waiting outside the gate and took the firearm when the man was rushed to hospital. Police reportedly believe it may have been tampered with by Mugabe’s friends, who arrived first at the scene.
A neighbour also claimed Mugabe had pointed a firearm at him in a previous encounter at a mall, but there are suspicions it may have been an attempted scam.
News24 reported Mugabe had fainted twice while in custody, reportedly due to a medical condition.
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“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,” an officer told the publication.
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Grace can’t come to her son’s aid
While Mugabe’s mother is reportedly pushing to get him out of custody and back to Zimbabwe, she can’t come to SA herself because she is a fugitive.
“The mother [Grace] is in Singapore, where she stays and cannot travel back because of the arrest warrant against her. She is worried and wants Bellarmine back in Zimbabwe because he is misbehaving in South Africa,” a source told City Press.
Grace has an arrest warrant out after she allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old woman with an extension cord in 2017, when she found the model in a hotel room with her two sons, Robert Jnr and Chatunga.
She reportedly promised to hand herself over at the Sandton police station, but then fled to Zimbabwe. She was granted diplomatic immunity, only for this to later be declared unlawful and unconstitutional.
While Mugabe’s legal team will attempt to secure his release on bail when he appears in court on Monday, his mother’s actions may lean toward him being seen as a flight risk.
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