Bellarmine Mugabe pleads guilty to firearm offence, illegal entry into South Africa

The youngest son of Zimbabwe's late president Robert Mugabe admitted pointing a firearm and immigration violations at a Johannesburg court.

Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, pleaded guilty on Friday to pointing a firearm at a person and entering South Africa illegally¹². The 28-year-old appeared at the Alexandra Magistrate's Court alongside co-accused Tobias Matonhodze, 33, who pleaded guilty to attempted murder and related charges¹².

Mugabe's guilty plea relates to an incident on 11 February at his Hyde Park residence, where he allegedly pointed what he described as a toy gun at a victim, causing them to believe it was a real firearm¹. The charge of pointing a gun relates to a separate, unrelated incident from the shooting case².

Matonhodze pleaded guilty to attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, illegal immigration and possession of ammunition². In his plea statement, Matonhodze confirmed that he "unlawfully and unintentionally attempted to kill Sipho Mahlangu by shooting him" in connection with a 19 February incident in which Mugabe's 23-year-old gardener was shot twice in the back¹. Both men were arrested on 19 February after police were called to Mugabe's home in the upmarket Johannesburg suburb².

Mugabe was initially charged with attempted murder but those charges were dropped after Matonhodze admitted responsibility for the shooting². National Prosecuting Authority spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole said it was not initially clear who had shot the man². Mugabe agreed to have the two separate cases heard together².

Lawyers for both men told the court they were prepared to return to Zimbabwe at their own expense if they do not receive custodial sentences². The case has been postponed to 24 April for further investigation as the weapon used in the shooting remains missing¹. Mugabe spoke only to confirm that he understood the charges and to enter his pleas².