South Africans Criticise Government and SAPS After Bellarmine Mugabe Reportedly Returns to SA

• A social media post suggests Robert Mugabe's son, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, has returned to South Africa
• Bellarmine was deported in April 2026 following his arrest after a shooting at his Hyde Park home in Johannesburg
• South Africans questioned how the deportation order was enforced, with many directing their anger at Home Affairs

Byron Pillay, a Briefly News journalist, has dedicated a decade to reporting on the South African political landscape, crime, and social issues. He worked as a newspaper journalist for 10 years before transitioning to online.

GAUTENG — Questions are being raised over South Africa's border enforcement after Robert Mugabe's son, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, appeared to surface in the country just months after a court ordered his deportation.

A post shared on X by @nhanha_nd drew widespread attention after it included what appeared to be an Instagram story attributed to Mugabe, referencing an address in the upmarket Killarney Sandhurst area of Johannesburg.

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The Instagram story also seemed to insinuate that Mugabe would not be held liable for anything that happened at the address if people came to question his presence there. The post on X quickly accumulated over 900 likes and hundreds of comments, with many users tagging SAPS and the Department of Home Affairs.

Neither SAPS nor the Department of Home Affairs had publicly addressed the matter at the time of publication.

Mugabe's April 2026 deportation

The Alexandra Magistrates' Court in Johannesburg issued a deportation order against Mugabe on 29 April 2026, directing that he be escorted to OR Tambo International Airport by the investigating officer for immediate removal from the country.

The order followed a guilty plea to two charges: pointing an object resembling a firearm in a manner likely to cause alarm, in connection with a 2023 incident, and contravening South Africa's Immigration Act by remaining in the country illegally for a prolonged period. Chatunga was fined a combined R600,000, declared unfit to possess a firearm, and ordered deported.

The case stemmed from a February 2026 arrest after an employee, Sipho Mahlangu, was shot in the back at Mugabe's Hyde Park home in Johannesburg. The man was reportedly paid to keep quiet about the incident. Mugabe's cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, who was arrested alongside him, pleaded guilty to the more serious charges, including attempted murder, and received an effective three-year prison sentence.

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South Africans demand answers

The apparent reappearance of Chatunga in South Africa prompted sharp criticism online.

@angel_jons wrote:

"He has been back for a while now."

@matome_07 commented:

"This country is a joke because of these politicians. How do you have a country without a secure border?"

@Baloyi1758404 questioned the police:

"Is our country a banana republic?"

@BBSF88 wrote:

"We are led by fools, no doubt."

@Yknip1 added:

"The disrespect is too much, so according to the government, all this is normal."

@mixedracedUncle said:

"Our police and justice system are liable for this, a very messed up situation if you ask me."

Zimbabwean journalist claimed Mugabe visited SA after deportation

A viral photo allegedly showing Mugabe at a Woolworths store in Waterfall sparked fresh speculation about his whereabouts.

Briefly News reported that Mugabe's lawyers dismissed the circulating image as old and denied he had been in South Africa.

Zimbabwean journalist Maynard Manyowa contradicted the lawyers, claiming Mugabe had crossed into SA about seven times since his deportation.

Source: Briefly News