Robert Mugabe's Son to Be Deported from South Africa
The youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former president Robert Mugabe has been ordered to be deported immediately from South Africa by a Johannesburg court.
Bellarmine Mugabe, aged 28, pleaded guilty earlier this month to charges of pointing a firearm and illegal presence in South Africa. His arrest followed the shooting of a 23-year-old man at his residence.
In addition to deportation, Bellarmine Mugabe has been fined $36,000 (£26,700).
His cousin and co-accused, Tobias Matonhodze, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, illegal immigration, possession of ammunition, and defeating the ends of justice. Matonhodze was sentenced to three years in prison.
Both men were apprehended on 19 February after police responded to a call at Mugabe's home located in the affluent Johannesburg suburb of Hyde Park.
A man employed at the property was critically injured and hospitalized after being shot.
Prosecutors informed the court that the shooting occurred following an argument among the three men inside the property. The victim was shot twice in the back outside the house as he attempted to escape.
The firearm used in the shooting has not yet been recovered by authorities.
Bellarmine Mugabe was initially charged with attempted murder, but this charge was dropped after Matonhodze’s guilty plea.
The charge of pointing a firearm pertains to a separate, unrelated incident. Mugabe consented to have both cases heard concurrently, according to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) which spoke to the BBC earlier this month.
Previous Legal Issues
Bellarmine Mugabe has had several prior legal encounters. In 2024, he was arrested in the Zimbabwean border town of Beitbridge for allegedly assaulting a police officer. Although he was granted bail, a warrant for his arrest was issued after he failed to appear in court, as reported by Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper.
The following year, he was arrested again for assaulting a security guard at a mining site in Mazowe, located about an hour north of Harare, Zimbabwe's capital. This case remains ongoing.
Family Background
Bellarmine Mugabe is one of two sons born to Robert Mugabe and his second wife, Grace Mugabe.
Robert Mugabe, who passed away in 2019, served as Zimbabwe’s president for 37 years before being removed from power in a coup in 2017.
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