JOHANNESBURG – Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of late Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, now faces the very real possibility of deportation from South Africa after authorities revealed he had been living in the country without legal status, a development that adds to his mounting legal and criminal troubles.
Mugabe, 29, was arrested on 19 February 2026 after a gardener was shot and critically injured at his upscale residence in Hyde Park, Johannesburg. He appeared before the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court on 23 February, charged with attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Prosecutors said the gun used in the incident has not been recovered.
In addition to the criminal charges, South African immigration authorities confirmed Mugabe’s presence in the country was unlawful. Official sources said he had previously been denied entry into South Africa, yet somehow remained in the country without valid documentation, a clear breach of the Immigration Act that may now lead to deportation proceedings.
Under South African law, being in the country illegally is a separate offence that can block bail applications, complicating Mugabe’s defence. A source familiar with the case told reporters Mugabe’s lawyers were preparing a bail application, but his immigration status “made a bail application impossible.”
The case has become a political flashpoint given his family’s profile. Mugabe is the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s longest‑serving leader, but his reputation has long been controversial. In Zimbabwe, he has faced brushes with the law: in 2024 a warrant was issued after he failed to appear in court for disorderly conduct and possession of a prohibited knife, and in 2025 he was arrested, and later released on bail, following a violent incident at a mining site in Mazowe.
At the Johannesburg hearing, police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi confirmed the gardener, employed at the Hyde Park property, remains in hospital under guard, and investigations are ongoing. Another charge, theft, has also been linked to the incident, with police alleging one of the accused took the victim’s gate remote as he fled the scene.
South Africa’s immigration system has been increasingly enforced in recent months, with authorities making clear that no individual is above the law, regardless of status or family name. If deportation proceeds, Mugabe could be detained until removal is effected and potentially face travel restrictions in the future.
The matter returns to court on 3 March 2026, where Mugabe’s legal team is expected to make further representations regarding bail amid both criminal and immigration challenges.
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