Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of the late former President Robert Mugabe, is facing serious assault charges after allegedly launching a brutal attack on five security guards at a mine in Mazowe.
The 28-year-old appeared before a Concession magistrate this week, jointly charged with his two bodyguards, Peter Fredson and Tinashe Mupawo. All three were granted bail at US$200 each.
According to prosecutors, the incident unfolded on June 25 near Grace Mugabe’s Iron Mask farm, where the accused confronted guards from the neighbouring Ultimate Mine. Chatunga and his men were allegedly chasing after illegal miners when the violent confrontation broke out.
In the first incident, Ntandoyokuza Nyathi, a guard patrolling with a dog, was accused by the trio of protecting the illegal miners. Before he could respond, one of the men reportedly fired a gunshot, and then all three allegedly charged at him.
The State says Nyathi was beaten with fists and open hands until he collapsed — then the beating continued as they allegedly stomped on him, forced him to carry a sack of gold ore, and dragged him to their premises. There, the violence allegedly escalated, with the men using wooden logs and an iron bar to continue the assault.
Nyathi sustained serious injuries and was taken to the hospital after reporting the matter to ZRP Mazowe.
In another alleged assault, Philip Chipara, a supervisor at the mine, heard the gunshot and rushed to investigate. Prosecutors say he arrived to find Nyathi being attacked and tried to intervene, but ended up being assaulted himself with fists, booted feet, and a shambok.
Instead of calming the situation, Chatunga and his men allegedly turned on Chipara, beat him, handcuffed him together with another guard, Elvis Bvumbe, and then later released them.
The court heard that the two bodyguards didn’t stop there. They also allegedly assaulted two more mine employees, Collen Muchemwa and Waddington Mutadza, bringing the number of complainants to five.
The case is still before the courts, with the trio expected to return as the trial continues.
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The post Chatunga Mugabe Released on US$200 Bail After Alleged Assault on Mine Guards appeared first on iHarare News.
