Trouble mounts for Chatunga Mugabe as missing gun sparks extra charges in Joburg

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe faces additional charges when he appears in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Monday, as police continue searching for the firearm allegedly used in the Hyde Park shooting.

Sources familiar with the investigation told IOL that prosecutors will add further charges, including defeating the ends of justice and pointing a firearm, because the firearm used in the attempted murder has not been found.

The potential defeating the ends of justice charge arises from the fact that the firearm believed to have been used in the shooting has not yet been recovered.

Police have not officially confirmed whether additional charges will be formally added when the matter is called in court.

Gauteng provincial police spokesperson Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi previously told journalists in Johannesburg that the circumstances surrounding the shooting were still “a bit sketchy” and that officers were conducting preliminary investigations at the scene.

She confirmed that police units, including the K9 unit, were deployed to search the Hyde Park property for the firearm allegedly used in the shooting.

Nevhuhulwi also said police recovered some cartridges at the scene, which would form part of the investigation.

Chatunga, 28, the youngest son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, was arrested alongside another man after a 23-year-old employee at the residence was shot and left in a critical condition.

Both suspects were initially charged with attempted murder.

The firearm has not yet been located.

Further clarity on the charges and the direction of the investigation is expected when the matter appears before court.