Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son, was arrested for attempted murder on Thursday after a shooting at his Hyde Park residence

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s son, was arrested for attempted murder on Thursday after a shooting at his Hyde Park residence that left a 23-year-old employee in hospital, police said.

The incident at the upmarket Johannesburg suburb allegedly occurred after a disagreement between the two which led to the gardener, who works at the property, being shot and transported to hospital, Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said.

Officers from the K9 unit, Bramley detectives and forensic crime scene management teams were deployed to the residence to process the scene and collect evidence.

“Two men, aged 28 and 33, were taken in for questioning, including Mugabe, 29, who was formally arrested in connection with the incident. Police have not yet confirmed whether charges have been filed,” Nevhuhulwi said.

“The motive for the shooting is unknown at this stage and investigations are under way.

The property has been linked to the Mugabe family, who have spent extended periods in South Africa since Robert Mugabe’s removal from office in 2017. The former Zimbabwean leader, who ruled for nearly four decades, died in 2019.

Nevhuhulwi said further updates,including whether there would be formal charges, were expected once preliminary enquiries were completed.

This isn’t the first time members of the family have attracted legal or public attention. Past incidents include allegations of assault and other legal run-ins in both Zimbabwe and South Africa.

In 2018, the South Gauteng High Court set aside the decision by the department of international relations to grant former Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity after she allegedly assaulted Gabriella Engels in a luxury hotel in Sandton the previous year.

Rights group AfriForum and the Democratic Alliance had challenged the decision by the department.