Can diplomatic immunity in SA save Robert Mugabe’s son from attempted-murder case?

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe is in hot water after a Hyde Park shooting, and a question has risen that asks if his famous surname can act as a get-out-of-jail-free card.

The youngest son of the late Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe was arrested in Johannesburg on Thursday after a shooting incident at his luxury residence left an employee in critical condition.

The 28-year-old now faces a charge of attempted murder after a 23-year-old gardener was found with multiple gunshot wounds. He is due in court on Monday, 23 February 2026.

As reported by SABC News, Mugabe was reportedly uncooperative during the arrest, locking himself inside the house for two hours while police negotiated his surrender.

Can diplomatic immunity protect Bellarmine Mugabe?

With the Mugabe family’s history, many are asking if “procedural shields” will once again frustrate the South African justice system.

In 2017, his mother, Grace Mugabe, was famously granted diplomatic immunity, which was later annulled, after allegedly assaulting a South African model with an electrical cord in Sandton. However, the legal landscape in 2026 appears far less forgiving for the former “first family”.

Clayson Monyela, head of public diplomacy at the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), has clarified that being the child of a former head of state does not grant automatic protection.

Posting on X (formerly Twitter) on the matter, Monyela said family members of heads of state (current or former) “do not automatically benefit from immunity from jurisdiction” in South Africa. He further noted that such privileges are typically “derived from official capacity or courtesy rather than an automatic, inherent right”.

A history of controversies and legal battles for Mugabe son

This arrest is merely the latest entry in Bellarmine Mugabe’s growing list of legal troubles.

In August 2024, he was arrested near Beitbridge for disorderly conduct and brandishing a knife at a police checkpoint. He was also linked to a violent confrontation at a mine in Mazowe in June 2025, where several guards sustained serious injuries.

SABC News specialist correspondent Sophie Mokoena noted that the South African judiciary remains independent regardless of a suspect’s background. “The courts… don’t even think about which family, which country; they deal with issues presented before them,” Mokoena explained.

No diplomatic immunity for grave transgressions

Even if a diplomatic claim were made, Monyela suggests it would fail here. For “extremely grave transgressions”, particularly those involving violence leading to injury or death, the department can request a waiver of immunity so the offender can stand trial in South Africa.