Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late longtime ruler Robert Mugabe, has pleaded guilty to firearm-related offences in South Africa, following a shooting incident at his Johannesburg home earlier this year.
The 28-year-old admitted in court on Friday to pointing a firearm and being in South Africa illegally, after his arrest in February in connection with the shooting of a 23-year-old man. Mugabe appeared before the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court alongside his co-accused, Tobias Matonhodze.
In a significant development, prosecutors dropped an earlier attempted murder charge against Mugabe after Matonhodze, 33, confessed to firing the gun. According to a spokesperson for South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), uncertainty initially surrounded who had pulled the trigger, but Matonhodze’s admission clarified the case.
Matonhodze pleaded guilty to a string of serious charges, including attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, illegal immigration, and possession of ammunition.
Both men have been in custody since 19 February, when police responded to reports of a shooting at Mugabe’s residence in the affluent Johannesburg suburb of Hyde Park. During Friday’s court proceedings, Mugabe spoke only to confirm his understanding of the charges and to enter his plea.
Lawyers representing the pair told the court that their clients would be willing to return to Zimbabwe at their own expense should they avoid custodial sentences.
The case adds to Mugabe’s growing legal troubles. In June last year, he was arrested in Zimbabwe for allegedly assaulting a security guard at a mining site in Mazowe, north of Harare. That case is still ongoing.
Bellarmine Mugabe is one of two sons born to Robert Mugabe and his second wife, Grace Mugabe. His father ruled Zimbabwe for nearly four decades before being ousted in a military-backed coup in 2017. He died in 2019.
The South African court is expected to determine sentencing or further legal steps in the coming proceedings.
