JOHANNESBURG — Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late former president Robert Mugabe, made his initial court appearance in Johannesburg on Monday alongside co-accused Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze. The pair face serious criminal charges including attempted murder, obstruction of justice, and illegal firearm possession following a shooting incident at the Mugabe family residence in the affluent Hyde Park suburb.
The case stems from an altercation last Thursday that resulted in the shooting of a domestic employee at the Mugabe property. According to law enforcement authorities, the victim—identified as the family’s gardener—sustained gunshot wounds requiring immediate hospitalization. While the precise motive remains under investigation, police confirmed the firearm allegedly used in the shooting has not been recovered since the suspects’ arrest on the day of the incident.
During their hearing at Alexandra Magistrates Court, the defendants learned their formal bail application would be heard on March 3. The 29-year-old Mugabe scion and his 33-year-old associate now await further judicial proceedings while in custody.
This development brings renewed attention to the Mugabe family’s legal troubles in South Africa. Robert Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until his 2017 ouster, died in Singapore in 2019. His widow Grace Mugabe has previously faced legal challenges in South Africa, including allegations of assault in 2017.