Mugabe’s son appears in court over alleged assault on anti-corruption officer

The youngest son of late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, has appeared before a court in Harare over allegations that he assaulted an anti-corruption official during an operation involving two luxury vehicles suspected to have been smuggled into the country.

The 29-year-old was brought before the Harare Magistrates Court on Thursday alongside four other men arrested with him at a lodge.

Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said the five men were arrested on Tuesday and charged with assault.

According to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, its officers had visited the lodge to seize a Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz allegedly brought into the country illegally when one of them was attacked.

However, neither vehicle has been directly linked to Bellarmine.

The latest case adds to a series of legal troubles involving members of the Mugabe family in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

Bellarmine previously faced drug possession charges in October, but prosecutors withdrew the case after his co-accused admitted ownership of the cannabis.

In April, he was deported from South Africa after pleading guilty to displaying an object resembling a firearm and staying in the country illegally. He was fined about 36,000 dollars as part of a plea agreement.

His mother, Grace Mugabe, also faced legal controversy in South Africa in 2017 over allegations that she assaulted a young model at a Johannesburg hotel.