Zimbabwe investigates luxury vehicles as Bellarmine Mugabe faces fresh arrest

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, has been arrested alongside four other men following an alleged assault on a Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) investigator during an operation targeting two luxury vehicles suspected of being illegally kept in the country.

The 29-year-old was arrested on Tuesday evening at Brompton Guest Lodge in Newlands, Harare, where investigators were following up on information about a Lamborghini and a Mercedes-Benz GLE 53 registered in South Africa.

According to ZACC spokesperson Simiso Mlevu, preliminary investigations suggested that the vehicles entered Zimbabwe under temporary import permits issued by the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA).

However, investigators suspected that the vehicles had remained in the country beyond their permitted periods.

Mlevu said the Lamborghini entered Zimbabwe in June and was recorded as having exited on 12 July.

The Mercedes-Benz reportedly entered the country on the same day and was recorded as having left for South Africa on 10 October.

Despite the recorded departures, ZACC investigators found both vehicles at the Harare lodge on Tuesday.

An official was allegedly assaulted during the operation, prompting the commission to report the incident to the police.

National police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi confirmed the arrest of Chatunga and four other suspects: Munashe Mubawu, 43, Terrence Johannes Chinyemba, 42, Fredson Peter, 33, and Solomon Pamire, 34.

The five face assault charges and were expected to appear in court on Thursday.

Their alleged individual roles in the suspected vehicle smuggling case have not been established.

What Zimbabwe’s temporary import permit rules say

ZIMRA allows qualifying visitors to bring foreign-registered private vehicles into Zimbabwe under Temporary Import Permits (TIPs).

However, the permits come with strict conditions governing how long vehicles can remain in the country.

According to ZIMRA, vehicles must generally be exported when the permit holder first leaves Zimbabwe, within three months of importation, or within any shorter period specified by the authority.

Extensions may be granted under certain circumstances, but vehicles cannot simply remain in the country indefinitely.

ZIMRA has also warned that vehicles breaching temporary importation conditions may be seized.

In October 2026, the authority introduced enhanced controls requiring additional documentation and verification for certain applications, with permits ordinarily limited to 30 days.

Chatunga’s previous encounters with police

The latest arrest adds to Chatunga’s previous encounters with law enforcement in Zimbabwe and South Africa.

He was previously arrested in South Africa following a shooting incident at his Johannesburg residence in which his gardener was wounded.

He was subsequently deported to Zimbabwe after admitting to being in the country illegally.

He has also faced allegations involving cannabis possession and an incident at a police checkpoint in Bubi, near Beitbridge.