Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of the late former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, is currently facing serious charges of assault after he and two bodyguards allegedly attacked five security personnel at a mine in Mazowe.
The 28-year-old, along with his aides Peter Fredson and Tinashe Mupawo, appeared in court this week in Concession. They were each granted bail set at US$200.
Prosecutors allege the incident occurred on June 25 near the Iron Mask estate, which belongs to Grace Mugabe. The three men reportedly confronted security guards from the nearby Ultimate Mine while pursuing suspected illegal miners, leading to a violent altercation.
In the first confrontation, a security guard named Ntandoyokuza Nyathi—who was on patrol with a dog—was accused of shielding the illegal miners. Before he could offer an explanation, one of the accused allegedly discharged a firearm, after which all three are said to have attacked him.
The prosecution claims Nyathi was punched and slapped until he lost consciousness. The assault reportedly continued even after he collapsed, with the trio allegedly kicking him, forcing him to carry a sack of gold ore, and dragging him to their location. There, the attack intensified with the use of iron bars and wooden logs.
Nyathi suffered severe injuries and was hospitalized after reporting the incident to police in Mazowe.
In a separate incident during the same confrontation, mine supervisor Philip Chipara responded to the sound of gunfire. On arriving at the scene and attempting to intervene, he too was allegedly assaulted—punched, kicked, and struck with a shambok.
Rather than de-escalate, Chatunga and his associates are said to have turned their aggression on Chipara, handcuffing him and another security officer, Elvis Bvumbe. The pair were later released.
The two bodyguards are also accused of physically attacking two more mine workers, Collen Muchemwa and Waddington Mutadza, bringing the total number of alleged victims to five.
The matter remains under judicial review, with the accused trio scheduled to return to court as the trial proceeds.
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