HARARE – Late former President Robert Mugabe’s son, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe has been issued with an arrest warrant after skipping court over a case in which he allegedly confronted Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe’s driver and smashed the car’s window panel before assaulting him.
Chatunga, 25, was arrested with accomplice, Tatenda Chinyuku for the violent act against one Lazarus Pairemanzi.
Pairemanzi is employed by Learbridge Technology Pvt Ltd, a company owned by Kazembe.
According to court documents, the younger of the three known Mugabe siblings was in the company of Chinyuku last week when the pair encountered Pairemanzi and began accusing him of driving improperly.
Reads court papers, “On the 11th day of April 2023 and along Samora Machel towards 7th street and at around 1830hrs, the complainant was driving his motor vehicle and the accused persons approached the complainant with an unmarked Mercedes Benz and blocked him.
“The accused persons then disembarked from their vehicle and went to the complainant accusing him of driving in a bad manner.
“The complainant closed his window and the accused persons then damaged the right window panel of the complainant’s vehicle.
“After the accused persons damaged the complainant’s window panel as alleged in count one, the accused persons further went on to assault the complainant with clenched fists and open hands on the face and head several times. The accused acted unlawfully.”
The two appeared before Harare magistrate Dennis Mangosi on Friday facing two counts of malicious damage to property and assault before being remanded out of custody.
The pair was meant to appear before the court again on Sunday for the withdrawal of their case but only Chinyuku attended.
Court then ordered Chinyuku to appear back in court on May 30 for routine remand before issuing a warrant of arrest against Mugabe.
Chatunga is the second of the two Mugabe male siblings to be arrested this year and charged with an offence relating to violently damaging a car.
