Mugabe Family Faces Arrests and Disputes After Losing Power

Published: March 11, 2026
The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

Nearly a decade after Zimbabwe’s long-time ruler Robert Mugabe was forced from power, the once-dominant Mugabe family continues to face arrests, accusations and bitter internal disputes that reflect the dramatic shift in their fortunes since the end of his rule.

For almost four decades, Robert Mugabe stood at the centre of Zimbabwe’s political system. After leading the country to independence in 1980, he governed as prime minister and later president until November 2017, when a military intervention and pressure from his own party forced him to resign. His departure marked the end of one of Africa’s longest and most controversial political eras.

Since then, the Mugabe family has struggled to maintain its influence while navigating legal battles, political marginalisation and public scrutiny.

One of the most prominent figures in the family, Robert Mugabe’s widow Grace Mugabe, once wielded enormous political power as a senior figure within the ruling ZANU-PF party. Known for her outspoken style and political ambitions, she was widely believed to be positioning herself as a potential successor to her husband before his fall from power.

However, after the military takeover that removed Mugabe, Grace’s political career collapsed almost overnight. She disappeared from the public spotlight for several years and has since faced multiple legal challenges related to property disputes and allegations of corruption.

Her daughter, Bona Mugabe, has also found herself entangled in public controversy. In recent years she has been drawn into disputes involving family assets and disagreements over properties associated with her father’s estate.

One of the most sensitive issues has been the management of Robert Mugabe’s legacy and burial arrangements. After his death in September 2019 at the age of 95, disagreements erupted between the Mugabe family and the Zimbabwean government over where the former president should be buried.

Government officials wanted Mugabe laid to rest at the National Heroes Acre in Harare, a site reserved for figures considered national heroes. The family, however, insisted he should be buried at his rural home in Kutama, reflecting their mistrust of the government that forced him from office.

The dispute dragged on for months and became symbolic of the deep political divisions left behind by Mugabe’s removal.

More recently, tensions have escalated again following a series of legal cases involving members of the Mugabe family. Police investigations have focused on allegations ranging from property disputes to claims of illegal land occupation.

In one case that drew significant attention in Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe’s sons faced legal scrutiny after authorities accused them of damaging property during a dispute with security guards at a business premises in Harare. The incident triggered public debate about whether the family continued to receive preferential treatment from law-enforcement authorities despite losing political power.

Supporters of the Mugabe family have argued that some of the investigations are politically motivated and designed to weaken the influence of figures associated with the former president.

Critics, however, say the legal cases simply reflect the reality that the family no longer enjoys the protections it once had during Mugabe’s rule. Under his presidency, the Mugabe household was widely viewed as untouchable within Zimbabwe’s political and legal systems.

Since Emmerson Mnangagwa assumed power following Mugabe’s resignation, the political landscape has shifted dramatically. Although Mnangagwa had long been a close ally of Mugabe, relations between the current administration and the former president’s family remain tense.

Members of the Mugabe family have periodically criticised the government, accusing it of betraying Mugabe’s legacy and failing to uphold the values of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.

At the same time, the government has attempted to distance itself from the era of Mugabe’s rule while maintaining the legitimacy of the ruling party that dominated Zimbabwean politics for decades.

Analysts say the family’s difficulties highlight how quickly political influence can evaporate once a leader loses power. During Mugabe’s presidency, his relatives and close associates held positions of influence across business, politics and the security services. Today many of those connections have weakened or disappeared.

For ordinary Zimbabweans, the struggles of the Mugabe family are often viewed through the lens of the country’s broader political history. Mugabe remains a deeply polarising figure: celebrated by some as a liberation hero who fought against colonial rule, while criticised by others for presiding over economic collapse, political repression and human rights abuses.

The controversies surrounding his family reflect that complicated legacy.

Nearly ten years after Mugabe’s removal from power, Zimbabwe continues to grapple with the political and social consequences of his long rule. Meanwhile, the once-powerful family that stood beside him now finds itself navigating a very different reality—one shaped by courtrooms, public scrutiny and a political system in which their dominance has largely faded.

For observers inside and outside Zimbabwe, the Mugabe family’s ongoing disputes offer a revealing glimpse into what happens when a political dynasty built on decades of authority suddenly loses the power that sustained it.

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