Mugabe’s Son Arrested Over Alleged ∆ssault As Zimbabwe Probes Luxury Vehicle Smuggling
Mugabe’s Son Arrested Over Alleged Assault As Zimbabwe Probes Luxury Vehicle Smuggling
According to the BBC, the 29-year-old was among five suspects arrested on Tuesday, November 3, in connection with an alleged assault at Brompton Guest Lodge in Harare.
Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late former President Robert Mugabe, has been arrested alongside four other men over an alleged assault in Harare, as authorities investigate the suspected illegal importation of two luxury vehicles into the country.
According to the BBC, the 29-year-old was among five suspects arrested on Tuesday, November 3, in connection with an alleged assault at Brompton Guest Lodge in Harare.
The incident reportedly occurred at about 6:30pm on November 3, according to a police statement.
The other suspects were identified as Munashe Mubawu, 43; Terrence Johannes Chinyemba, 42; Fredson Peter, 33; and Solomon Pamire, 34.
Police said all five men were arrested over the alleged assault, while the investigation also involves the suspected illegal importation of two vehicles into Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has reportedly seized the vehicles as part of its investigation.
However, the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault and the precise connection between the incident and the suspected vehicle smuggling have not been fully established.
The five suspects are expected to appear before a court on November 5.
Bellarmine is the youngest son of Robert Mugabe and his second wife, Grace Mugabe. His father ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, from the country’s independence in 1980 until he was forced to resign in November 2017 following a military takeover.
Robert Mugabe died in September 2019 at the age of 95.
Previous Arrest And Deportation From South Africa
Bellarmine’s latest arrest comes months after a magistrate in South Africa ordered his immediate deportation to Zimbabwe following his guilty plea to two offences.
In April, a court in Johannesburg ordered him to pay a fine of $36,000 or face a two-year prison sentence after he admitted to pointing a toy gun in a manner that created the impression it was a real firearm and being in South Africa illegally.
He was arrested on February 19 alongside his cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, after an employee at his residence in the affluent Hyde Park neighbourhood of Johannesburg was shot in the back.
The two men were initially charged with attempted murder.
However, following a failed plea agreement, Bellarmine, then 28, admitted to being in South Africa illegally and pointing a toy gun during a separate incident.
Matonhodze, then 32, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges. He was sentenced to three years in prison after also admitting to illegal immigration, possession of ammunition and defeating the ends of justice after police failed to recover the firearm.
During the proceedings, Magistrate Renier Boshoff told Bellarmine that he could not determine whether Matonhodze had “taken the rap” for his cousin, adding that he could only make a decision based on the evidence before the court
Matonhodze was ordered to be deported to Zimbabwe after completing his prison sentence.
Boshoff said the sentences imposed on both men were more lenient than usual because they had pleaded guilty and were first-time offenders.
Robert Mugabe had four children, including a stepson. Bellarmine was one of the two sons he had with his second wife, Grace.
