The youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late former President Robert Mugabe, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, has been arrested alongside four other men over the alleged assault of an anti-corruption investigator during an operation involving two luxury vehicles suspected of being illegally imported into the country.
The 29-year-old appeared before the Harare Magistrates Court on Thursday, November 5, 2026, facing assault charges following his arrest earlier in the week.
According to police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the five suspects were arrested on Tuesday at a lodge in Newlands, Harare, following an operation by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).
The operation involved the seizure of a Lamborghini Urus and a Mercedes-Benz GLE 53, both reportedly registered in South Africa.
ZACC spokesperson Similiso Mlevu said investigators had identified irregularities in the vehicles’ importation records, raising suspicions that they had remained in Zimbabwe beyond their authorised temporary importation periods.
Mlevu explained that official records indicated the Lamborghini entered Zimbabwe in June and was recorded as having exited on July 12. The Mercedes-Benz reportedly entered the country on the same date and was recorded as having departed for South Africa on October 10.
However, the vehicles were subsequently discovered at a property in Newlands, prompting the seizure operation.
During the operation, one ZACC official was allegedly assaulted, leading to a police report and the arrest of Mugabe and four other suspects.
The other suspects were identified as Munashe Mubawu, Terrence Johannes Chinyemba, Fredson Peter and Solomon Pamire.
Authorities have, however, not directly linked either of the seized vehicles to Bellarmine Mugabe, with the investigation into the suspected importation irregularities ongoing.
The latest arrest adds to Mugabe’s recent encounters with the law.
In April 2026, he was deported from South Africa after pleading guilty to immigration violations and pointing an object resembling a firearm. A court ordered him to pay fines totalling approximately US$36,000 or serve two years in prison.
He also appeared in a Zimbabwean court in October over a cannabis possession case, although prosecutors subsequently withdrew the charges against him after his co-accused accepted responsibility.
