The son of Zimbabwe’s late former president Robert Mugabe is set to be deported from South Africa after a Johannesburg court handed down fines totalling 600,000 rand (approximately $36,200) against him Wednesday for pointing a toy gun at a person and breaching the country’s immigration laws.
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, believed to be in his late 20s, pleaded guilty to both charges as part of a negotiated agreement with prosecutors at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court. The court imposed a 400,000 rand ($24,100) penalty for the toy gun incident and a separate 200,000 rand fine for the immigration violation, after which he faces deportation.
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s former leader Robert Mugabe, and his co-accused Tobias Tampirepi Mugabe Matonhodze appear in court for sentencing on charges linked to the case of a shooting incident in Johannesburg earlier this year, at Alexandra Magistrates’ Court in Johannesburg, South Africa, April 29, 2026. REUTERS/Oupa Nkosi
The case stems from a February arrest at a Johannesburg mansion where Bellarmine had been residing. A worker was shot and wounded there, though the younger Mugabe’s guilty plea relates to a separate incident involving the toy firearm. The weapon used in the actual shooting remains unaccounted for.
His co-accused, Tobias Matonhodze, faced far graver consequences. Matonhodze pleaded guilty to the attempted murder of the worker — who was shot twice in the back — along with additional charges including defeating the ends of justice. He was sentenced to three years in prison and will also face deportation upon his release. An investigating officer told the court that the injured worker received a compensation settlement of 250,000 rand, with a further 150,000 rand payment still outstanding.
Both men had remained in custody from the time of their February arrest until Wednesday’s sentencing.
The ruling draws fresh attention to the Mugabe family name, long synonymous with Zimbabwean political history. Robert Mugabe governed the southern African nation for 37 years following independence from Britain in 1980, becoming one of Africa’s most polarising leaders. He was removed from power in a military coup in November 2017 and died two years later at a hospital in Singapore at the age of 95.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah