South Africa has deported Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe's former president Robert Mugabe, after a Johannesburg court fined him for unrelated offences. The 28-year-old appeared in court alongside his cousin, Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, who was sentenced to three years in prison for attempted murder and other charges.
Court Proceedings and Sentences
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe was ordered to pay a fine of 400,000 rand (£17,851) for pointing a toy gun in a manner likely to be perceived as a real firearm, stemming from a separate incident in 2023. He also received a 200,000 rand (£8,919.50) fine for violating immigration laws. Mugabe pleaded guilty to both offences. The magistrate, Renier Boshoff, ordered police to escort him to Johannesburg's international airport for deportation to Zimbabwe.
His cousin, Matonhodze, pleaded guilty earlier this month to attempted murder, firearms offences, defeating the ends of justice, and contravening immigration law. He was sentenced to three years in prison. The charges arose from an incident on 19 February, when an employee was shot in the back at the Mugabe family home in a wealthy Johannesburg suburb. Initially, both men were charged with attempted murder.
Magistrate's Remarks
Magistrate Boshoff noted that the sentences were mitigated by the guilty pleas, the time already served since the shooting, and the victim's desire to withdraw charges after receiving payment from the accused. He said, "I do not know whether the second accused took the rap for you, and I can only act on what is before me." Prosecutors had sought lengthy jail terms for both men.
Investigating officer Raj Ramchunder revealed that the victim, 23-year-old Sipho Mahlangu, had been paid 250,000 rand (£11,150) with an additional 150,000 rand (£6,690) promised.
Background on Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for nearly 40 years, initially hailed as a hero for ending white minority rule. His later years were marked by authoritarianism, hyperinflation, and economic collapse. He was ousted in a 2017 coup and died two years later at age 95.
Mugabe's Sons and Legal Troubles
Bellarmine and his older brother, Robert Junior, 34, gained notoriety in the 2010s for flaunting their lavish lifestyles online. In 2017, their mother, Grace Mugabe, avoided prosecution in South Africa by invoking diplomatic immunity after model Gabriella Engels accused her of assault with an electric cable.
The magistrate noted that both men were first-time offenders, though Bellarmine has prior legal issues in Zimbabwe. According to local media, he was arrested in 2024 for allegedly assaulting a police officer at a roadblock and in June last year for assaulting a security guard at a goldmine. The status of those cases remains unclear.
