Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the son of late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, is among five men arrested in Harare following the alleged assault of a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) investigator during an operation to seize two luxury vehicles suspected of being smuggled from South Africa.
The arrests were made on Wednesday, November 4, after ZACC officials conducted an operation at a lodge in Newlands, Harare, targeting a Lamborghini Urus and a Mercedes-Benz allegedly linked to cross-border vehicle smuggling.
According to ZACC spokesperson Simiso Mlevu, investigators suspected that the vehicles had entered Zimbabwe under Temporary Import Permits (TIPs) before being moved out of the country and subsequently brought back illegally.
Mlevu said a ZACC official was assaulted during the operation.
“In the process of seizing these vehicles, one of our officials was assaulted by the individuals who are suspected to be involved in the smuggling of these vehicles. We reported the matter to the police,” she said.
Five men were subsequently arrested in connection with the alleged assault, including Chatunga Mugabe.
The vehicles were seized as part of a broader investigation into suspected vehicle smuggling and illegal imports into Zimbabwe.
ZACC said the operation was not an isolated incident, revealing that 42 commuter omnibuses had also been seized over suspicions that they were imported in contravention of regulations restricting the importation of vehicles older than 10 years.
Investigations into the alleged assault and suspected vehicle smuggling are ongoing.
Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Robert Mugabe, has previously faced legal proceedings in South Africa. In April 2026, he was fined after pleading guilty to pointing an object resembling a firearm and contravening immigration laws.
Authorities have not yet publicly detailed the specific charges facing the five men arrested in the latest incident.
Source: News24
