The youngest son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe was in police custody Thursday following the shooting of a gardener at the family’s Johannesburg home, as South African police launch an attempted murder investigation.
Police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed two men aged 33 and 24 were taken in for questioning, though she declined to identify them.
South African media reported one suspect is Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, 29, with images circulating showing him handcuffed and escorted by officers.
The gardener was shot at the residence in a wealthy suburb north of Johannesburg and remains in critical condition.
“The circumstances of the shooting are still a bit sketchy,” Nevhuhulwi said, adding that investigators are working to determine the motive.
Family history
The Mugabe brothers, Robert Jr and Bellarmine, are known in Johannesburg for their partying lifestyle.
Their mother, Grace, nicknamed “Gucci Grace”, faced assault allegations in both South Africa and Zimbabwe in previous years.
Robert Jr appeared in a Harare court in October on cannabis possession charges, which he denies.
