HARARE-(Maravi Post)-Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late former president Robert Mugabe, has been arrested alongside four other men in connection with an alleged assault during an investigation involving two luxury vehicles suspected of having been smuggled into the country.
The BBC reports that the 29-year-old was taken into custody on Tuesday as Zimbabwean authorities investigated the circumstances surrounding the alleged assault and the suspected illegal entry of the high-end vehicles.
Police confirmed that Mugabe was arrested together with Munashe Mubawu, 43, Terrence Johannes Chinyemba, 42, Fredson Peter, 33, and Solomon Pamire, 34.
According to a police statement, the five suspects are being investigated over an assault allegedly committed at Brompton Guest Lodge in Harare on November 3, 2026, at approximately 6:30pm local time.
The suspects were expected to appear before a court on November 5, where the allegations are due to enter the judicial process.
The arrests have drawn considerable attention because of Mugabe’s family background and the separate investigation into two luxury vehicles reportedly brought into Zimbabwe through suspected smuggling arrangements.
Local media reports indicate that the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) has seized the vehicles as part of its inquiries into the suspected irregularities.
However, the precise circumstances surrounding the alleged vehicle smuggling, the ownership of the cars and the alleged assault remain matters for investigators and the courts to establish.
The case has placed renewed public attention on the Mugabe family, whose political influence and fortunes have remained subjects of national debate since Robert Mugabe was removed from power in 2017.
Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, first as prime minister and later as president, before his departure from office following a military intervention and intense political pressure in November 2017.
He died in September 2019 at the age of 95.
Bellarmine is the youngest of Robert Mugabe’s children with his second wife, Grace Mugabe, who remained a prominent political figure during the final years of her husband’s presidency.
The latest arrest adds another development to the controversies and legal disputes that have attracted attention around members of the former first family since the end of Mugabe’s rule.
Nevertheless, the allegations against Bellarmine and the four other suspects have not been established in court, and their arrest should not be treated as proof of guilt.
The court proceedings are expected to provide an opportunity for the prosecution and defence to present their respective positions as the investigation continues.
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