JOHANNESBURG – In a high-profile legal development that echoes the long controversial legacy of Zimbabwe’s former authoritarian leader Robert Mugabe, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the 28-year-old youngest son of the late president and his second wife Grace Mugabe, has avoided a serious attempted murder charge through a last-minute plea deal with South African prosecutors. Chatunga Mugabe and his cousin and co-accused Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze have been held in custody since mid-February, after the two were linked to a shooting that left Sipho Mahlangu, a domestic employee at a private residence, injured and hospitalized.
Under the terms of the agreement finalized in court on Friday, Chatunga Mugabe entered guilty pleas to two lesser charges: pointing an object that led another person to reasonably believe it was a loaded firearm in a separate incident unrelated to the shooting, and violating South African immigration law by entering and remaining in the country without valid documentation. Matonhodze, by contrast, pleaded guilty to five total charges, including the original count of attempted murder, along with unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, obstructing the course of justice, and illegal immigration.
The pair’s legal representative Sinenhlanhla Mnguni confirmed to reporters outside the Johannesburg courthouse that the Section 112 plea deal under South Africa’s Criminal Procedure Act was reached after initial rounds of plea and sentencing negotiations fell apart. This legal mechanism allows defendants to avoid a lengthy, public full jury trial, streamlining the conclusion of the case. Defense attorney Advocate Laurence Hodes pushed the court for leniency during sentencing arguments, noting that neither man had prior criminal convictions. Hodes added that the pair had already reached a private financial settlement with the shooting victim Mahlangu, and confirmed they were prepared to pay any fine the court hand down.
However, the case remains marked by unresolved questions around the shooting itself. Lead police witness Lieutenant Colonel Raj Ramchunder testified to the court that investigators have yet to recover the weapon used to shoot Mahlangu, and that the two accused have refused to cooperate with authorities to locate the firearm. Ramchunder emphasized that the pair were present at the scene when the shot was fired that injured Mahlangu, and have clear knowledge of where the weapon is hidden. “The accused shows no remorse in assisting the police in any way to point out the firearm,” Ramchunder told the court.
The judge accepted the guilty pleas from both defendants and has scheduled sentencing for April 24, leaving the final legal outcome pending. This case is not the first time a member of the Mugabe family has faced legal controversy in South Africa. In 2017, Grace Mugabe was accused of assaulting a young South African model named Gabriella Engels, striking her in the forehead with an extension cord during an altercation at a Johannesburg hotel. The South African government granted Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity amid widespread public outcry from opposition parties and human rights groups, allowing her to leave the country without facing prosecution.