Who is Robert Mugabe Jr? Why he was arrested by the Harare police recently?

The eldest son of the late authoritarian ruler of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe has been recently arrested for allegedly causing damage worth $ 12,000 to cars and other property. The 31-year-old, Robert Peter Mugabe Jr was arrested from an upmarket neighbourhood of Harare where he was partying over the weekend. He spent a night in a local police station and then briefly appeared at a court in the capital city, Harare on Monday.

Mugabe Jr was not held after the hearing but his lawyer, Asheil Mugiya, said that he still faced charges and the two parties were negotiating an out-of-court settlement. The damaged property is believed to belong to a friend.

“No, charges were not withdrawn. The state decided to give parties the opportunity to negotiate,” Mugiya said.

Robert Peter Mugabe Jr and his many controversies

Robert Peter Mugabe Jr is the eldest son of Robert Mugabe among his 4 children. His other sons are Chatunga Bellarmine Mugabe, Bona Mugabe and Michael Nhamodzenyika Mugabe. In the past as well, Mugabe Jr has been subjected to multiple news reports for partying and lavish spending. In one incident, he watched as his younger brother poured a $ 213 bottle of champagne over a luxury watch to prove it was waterproof.

In 2017, his mother, Grace, who is his father’s second wife, was also accused of attacking a 20-year-old South African model who she found with her son after a night out at a hotel in Johannesburg’s upmarket Sandton district.

In an interview last year, Mugabe Jr described himself as a basketball player, architect and gym fanatic. He said in the interview that he hustles and enjoys socialising with people. “I keep it simple”, he added.
He also made headlines when he appeared to endorse Emmerson Mnangagwa, the man who headed the military takeover that led to his father’s fall from power in 2017 and who is currently the leader of Zimbabwe. Before

Watch |Timeline of coup that ended Robert Mugabe's rule of Zimbabwe

The apparent reconciliation with Mugabe Jr proved to be a success for Mnangagwa. He sought to exploit his predecessor’s early history as a liberation struggle leader. The Mugabe family have resisted the current president’s efforts, leading to a series of arguments over the legacy of the late authoritarian ruler and the location of his tomb.

The Mugabe family's love for hefty amounts of assets

In 2017, Mugabe and his wife, Grace received a ‘golden handshake’ worth many millions of dollars as part of a deal negotiated before the resignation of the ageing autocrat. The agreement also included immunity from prosecution and a guarantee that no action would be taken against his family’s extensive business interests.

According to some reports, Mugabe amassed about $ 1.6 billion worth of assets during his time in power, the majority of which was invested outside Zimbabwe. A 2001 US diplomatic cable, released by whistle-blowing organisation WikiLeaks, quoted this figure. The organisation said that while reliable information was difficult to find, there were rumours that his assets “include everything from secret accounts in Switzerland, the Channel Islands and the Bahamas to castles in Scotland.”

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