Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, has been ordered deported from South Africa following his admission that he was in the country illegally.
The ruling was delivered by Magistrate Reiner Boshoff after Mugabe appeared in court over his involvement in an incident that led to the shooting of a gardener. Mugabe had been in custody since mid-February in connection with the case.
During sentencing, the court found Mugabe guilty of pointing what was believed to be a firearm—later described as a toy gun—in a manner that could have caused the victim to believe it was real. Magistrate Boshoff imposed a fine of 400,000 rand (approximately $24,000) or, alternatively, a 24-month prison sentence if the fine is not paid.
In addition, Mugabe was handed a further fine equivalent to $36,000, with another 24-month jail term as a default penalty.
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“It is also ordered that you will be deported,” Boshoff said in court, adding that Mugabe would be escorted by the investigating officer present at the hearing.
The magistrate noted that the sentence sought to strike a balance between justice and leniency, stating that “mercy is not more than sympathy.”
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Boshoff also addressed the co-accused in the case, making it clear that imprisonment would not be avoided, emphasizing the seriousness of the offense.
Mugabe’s deportation is expected to be carried out immediately following the court’s directive.
