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Court orders immediate deportation of Bellarmine Mugabe
Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former president Robert Mugabe, must leave South Africa at once after a Johannesburg court ruled on his case Tuesday.
Guilty plea and fine
The 28-year-old admitted to unlawfully pointing a firearm and entering South Africa without authorization earlier this month. He was fined 600,000 South African rand (approximately $36,000).
Shooting incident and co-accused
Mugabe and his cousin Tobias Matonhodze were detained on 19 February after police responded to a call at Mugabe's residence in Hyde Park, an affluent Johannesburg neighborhood. A 23-year-old employee was shot twice in the back while attempting to escape a dispute inside the property and remains in critical condition.
Matonhodze, who confessed to attempted murder, illegal entry, ammunition possession, and obstructing justice, received a three-year prison term. Authorities have not recovered the weapon used in the attack.
Legal background and previous charges
Prosecutors initially charged Mugabe with attempted murder, but the count was dismissed after Matonhodze pleaded guilty. The firearm-pointing charge stemmed from a separate, unrelated event; both cases were consolidated for trial.
The presiding judge determined that the gun Mugabe displayed was a replica but noted it could reasonably be mistaken for a real firearm.
History of legal troubles
Mugabe has faced repeated legal issues. In 2024, he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer in Beitbridge, a Zimbabwean border town. After being released on bail, he failed to appear in court, prompting a warrant for his arrest, according to Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper.
The following year, he was detained for assaulting a security guard at a mining site in Mazowe, approximately 60 kilometers north of Harare. That case is still pending.
Family background
Bellarmine Mugabe is one of two sons born to Robert Mugabe and his second wife, Grace. The former president, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years, was removed from office in a 2017 military coup and died in 2019.
