Arrests, accusations and arguments - the Mugabe family after losing power

## Summary
Arrests, accusations and arguments - the Mugabe family after losing power 2 hours ago Share Save Khanyisile Ngcobo Johannesburg Share Save Reuters Bellarmine Mugabe, along with co-accused Tobias Tamirepi Matonhodze, made an initial court appearance last month The arrest in South Africa of the youngest son of Zimbabwe's former President, Robert Mugabe, has brought renewed attention to the former first family and their controversies over the years. The long-serving president and his second wife Grace had three children together: Bona Mugabe - now 37 Robert Mugabe Jr - now 33 Bellarmine Mugabe - now 28. Gallo Images/Getty Images Bellarmine (R) was pictured with his parents in 2011 as they cut a cake in celebration of Robert Mugabe's 87th birthday Bellarmine and his older brother Robert Jr have made headlines over the years for their flashy lifestyles in the face of rising poverty in Zimbabwe. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica , on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica BBC Africa podcasts Focus on Africa This Is Africa Grace Mugabe Robert Mugabe Zimbabwe Africa

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Arrests, accusations and arguments - the Mugabe family after losing power
2 hours ago
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Khanyisile Ngcobo
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Reuters
Bellarmine Mugabe, along with co-accused Tobias Tamirepi Matonhodze, made an initial court appearance last month
The arrest in South Africa of the youngest son of Zimbabwe's former President, Robert Mugabe, has brought renewed attention to the former first family and their controversies over the years.
Bellarmine Mugabe, who is due in court on Wednesday for a bail hearing, is accused of attempted murder, among other charges, after a 23-year-old man was shot and injured at a property in an upmarket suburb of Johannesburg.
He has not commented on the charges.
His father led Zimbabwe for 37 years before being forced out of power at the age of 93 in 2017. He died two years later.
The long-serving president and his second wife Grace had three children together:
Bona Mugabe
- now 37
Robert Mugabe Jr
- now 33
Bellarmine Mugabe
- now 28.
Grace also had a son from an earlier marriage:
Russell Goreraza
- now in his early 40s.
Managing editor of Zimbabwean privately owned NewsHawks website, Dumisani Muleya, told the BBC that the Mugabe family had "lived a life of privilege" and that the children "grew up in that environment where they were protected from the broader realities of the Zimbabwean political and socio-economic situation".
The family had amassed a vast personal fortune, including $10m (£7.5m) in cash, four houses, 10 cars, a farm and an orchard among other assets.
These details emerged three months after Robert Mugabe's death in a legal letter submitted to the high court in Zimbabwe by his daughter Bona. At the time, a lawyer for the family, Terrence Hussein, told the BBC that none of the properties were under the former leader's name.
In 2013, Grace denied that her husband was accumulating wealth while in office, saying her husband did not earn as much as people thought as he was a civil servant.
"The allowance I get is just a pittance. I'm a business-minded person [and] I support my husband [by] running our private businesses," she said.
Here is a run-down of what has happened to the family members:
Bellarmine Mugabe
Like his siblings, he grew up in the public eye and was subjected to scrutiny from a young age.
But as a teenager it was Bellarmine's approach to studying that appeared to have been a concern for his parents.
In a wide-ranging interview in 2013 on South African television, they described his playfulness and lack of focus on academics.
Grace said she wanted him to "change his ways" and "concentrate on his studies".
"He should be more serious than he is at the moment," his father added.
Bellarmine sheepishly admitted to spending more time on video games than his schoolwork.
Gallo Images/Getty Images
Bellarmine (R) was pictured with his parents in 2011 as they cut a cake in celebration of Robert Mugabe's 87th birthday
Bellarmine and his older brother Robert Jr have made headlines over the years for their flashy lifestyles in the face of rising poverty in Zimbabwe.
In 2017, a few weeks before the coup in which his father was ousted, he posted a picture of a $60,000 watch he was wearing on Instagram.
A few months earlier, the brothers were reportedly kicked out of a luxury apartment block in the affluent Johannesburg suburb of Sandton after complaints about the noise they were making.
There have been also several brushes with the law more recently.
In 2024 he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer in the Zimbabwean border town of Beitbridge.
He was given bail but a warrant for his arrest was then issued after he failed to appear in court, Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper reported at the time.
A year later in June, he was again arrested for assaulting a security guard at a mining site in Mazowe, an hour's drive north of the capital, Harare.
He was bailed and the case has not yet concluded.
The current case in South Africa against Bellarmine has faced several delays since his arrest in mid-February and his bail application hearing has already been postponed twice.
Robert Mugabe Jr
Also no stranger to run-ins with the police, Robert Jr was arrested in 2023 over allegations he damaged property at a party in Harare.
He faced three counts of malicious damage to property and two charges of assault on a police officer, his lawyer said at the time. He was accused of smashing car windscreens and spitting on a police officer.
He maintained his innocence and was later freed after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement with the complainant, who was a friend of his.
AFP via Getty Images
Robert Jr (L) and Bellarmine were pictured together in 2019 as they mourned their father
In 2025, after pleading guilty, Robert Jr was convicted and fined in Zimbabwe for possession of cannabis.
He had been arrested as he drove the wrong way down a one-way street
, according to court documents. Police searched a black sling bag he was wearing at the time and alleg

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- But as a teenager it was Bellarmine's approach to studying that appeared to have been a concern for his parents.
- Grace Mugabe The former first lady, now 60, gained a reputation, and criticism, over the years for her alleged appetite for shopping and extravagance, earning her the moniker "Gucci Grace".

### Implications
- Grace said she wanted him to "change his ways" and "concentrate on his studies". "He should be more serious than he is at the moment," his father added.
- Chikore wanted a share of what he said was $80m worth of residential properties, including a mansion in Dubai and 21 farms - something that flies in the face of her father's policy of "one household, one farm".
- You may also be interested in: Robert Mugabe: From liberator to tyrant Is Zimbabwe any better off without Mugabe?

### Expert Commentary
This article covers mugabe, robert, grace topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1832.