Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former leader Robert Mugabe, pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and unlawfully being in South Africa. The 28-year-old entered these pleas during a court appearance in Alexandra after being arrested in February for a shooting incident involving a 23-year-old man at his home in Johannesburg.
Mugabe was held in custody alongside co-accused Tobias Matonhodze, who also faces multiple charges including attempted murder and possession of ammunition. The pair's lawyers indicated they were willing to return to Zimbabwe at their expense if not sentenced to custodial time.
During the proceedings, Mugabe affirmed that he understood the charges before pleading guilty, having reached a deal with prosecutors, though the National Prosecuting Authority did not disclose the status of a previous attempted murder charge against him.
Both men were arrested following a police call to Mugabe's Hyde Park residence, where a man, believed to be a security guard, suffered critical injuries from gunfire. The shooting reportedly stemmed from an altercation among the three individuals, with the victim shot in the back while attempting to flee the scene.
Authorities are still searching for the weapon used in the incident. The sentencing for Mugabe and Matonhodze has been postponed to April 24, amid ongoing procedural delays, including postponed bail hearings.
This incident is not Bellarmine Mugabe's first entanglement with law enforcement; he previously faced arrest in Zimbabwe for alleged assaulting a police officer. His familial connections, being the son of a president who ruled for 37 years before being ousted in a coup, add a layer of public interest to the case.
