Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the son of Zimbabwe’s late former president Robert Mugabe, has reportedly claimed that South Africans are jealous of him because he considers himself a blessed 29-year-old.
The remark comes amid renewed attention surrounding Mugabe following social media posts that appeared to suggest he had returned to South Africa, months after he was deported to Zimbabwe.
His reported return has sparked questions on social media, particularly because a South African court ordered his deportation in April 2026.
Why was Bellarmine Mugabe deported?
Mugabe was ordered to leave South Africa after appearing before the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court in Johannesburg on 29 April 2026.
He pleaded guilty to contravening immigration laws by remaining in South Africa illegally and to pointing an object resembling a firearm in a manner likely to cause alarm. He was fined a total of R600,000, with imprisonment as an alternative, and ordered to be deported.
The case followed a separate shooting incident at a Hyde Park residence in February, in which an employee was wounded. Mugabe’s cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, was convicted of offences connected to that incident, including attempted murder. Mugabe’s plea agreement concerned separate offences.
Social media posts reignite controversy
In October, posts attributed to Mugabe circulated online, appearing to indicate that he was back in South Africa. The posts drew criticism and questions about how he could have returned after his deportation.
His lawyer had previously rejected an earlier claim that Mugabe had been spotted in Midrand, saying in July that the photograph being circulated was old and that his client had not returned to South Africa since his deportation.
His latest reported remark about South Africans being jealous of him because he is blessed has added another talking point to the controversy surrounding his status and reported whereabouts.
Whether he has returned to South Africa remains a matter of public interest following the court’s deportation order.
