Grace Mugabe Faces Jail in South Africa
South Africa-Six years after the death of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, the Mugabe family remains entangled in controversy — this time in South Africa, where legal troubles threaten to pull both mother and son deeper into the courts. While Chatunga Bellarmine Mugabe faces attempted murder charges following a dramatic shooting at the family’s Johannesburg home, his mother, Grace Mugabe, remains unable to intervene directly because of her own unresolved legal battles in the country.
The latest storm erupted on Thursday when Chatunga and a second suspect, believed to be his bodyguard, were arrested on attempted murder charges after a man was shot at the Mugabe residence in Johannesburg.
Police said preliminary investigations pointed to a labour dispute between the gardener and one of the suspects as the possible trigger for the shooting. Initial reports suggested that Chatunga barricaded himself inside his room after the gunshots rang out before later cooperating with officers. A cartridge was recovered at the scene, but the firearm allegedly used in the shooting has not been found. The property was placed under lockdown as investigators searched for the missing weapon.
But the case has since taken a dramatic twist.
According to sources cited by City Press, Chatunga disputes the police’s version of events. He allegedly told officers that the injured man was not a gardener but a security guard who shot himself. The claim has raised eyebrows, particularly as reports indicate the victim sustained two gunshot wounds to the back — injuries that may prove difficult to reconcile with a self-inflicted shooting.
Chatunga further claimed that tensions escalated after he dismissed the guard for allegedly performing traditional rituals on the property. He told police that the firearm disappeared because the injured man arrived with accomplices who were waiting outside the gate and removed the weapon while he was being rushed to hospital.
Police, however, reportedly suspect that the crime scene may have been tampered with by friends of Chatunga who arrived before officers secured the premises.
The controversy is compounded by previous firearm allegations. A neighbour has claimed that Chatunga once pointed a gun at him during an altercation at a shopping mall, although there are suggestions that the complaint may have been linked to an attempted scam.
Meanwhile, News24 reported that Chatunga fainted twice while in custody, allegedly due to an undisclosed medical condition.
“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 was quoted as saying.
As Chatunga prepares for a bail application expected on Monday, prosecutors may argue that he poses a flight risk — particularly given his family’s history with South African authorities.
His mother, Grace Mugabe, cannot travel to South Africa due to an outstanding arrest warrant stemming from a 2017 incident in which she allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old woman with an extension cord at a Johannesburg hotel after reportedly finding her in a room with her sons, Robert Jnr and Chatunga. Although she was initially granted diplomatic immunity, the decision was later declared unlawful and unconstitutional. Grace subsequently left South Africa and has not returned to face the charges.
Sources quoted by City Press say Grace, reportedly based in Singapore, is anxious about her son’s conduct in South Africa and wants him back in Zimbabwe — but her own legal constraints prevent her from intervening directly.
Whether Chatunga’s claim that the victim shot himself withstands forensic scrutiny will likely determine his immediate fate. But the broader picture is clear: in South Africa, the Mugabe name offers no shield against prosecution. As the court process unfolds, both mother and son remain shadowed by the law — a powerful political dynasty now navigating a legal terrain far removed from the authority it once commanded.-ZimEye