Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, has been fined and ordered deported from South Africa after pleading guilty to immigration and firearms-related offences. The 28-year-old appeared in a Johannesburg court on Wednesday, where he was fined 600,000 rand (£26,770) in total.
The charges stem from a separate incident in 2023, where Mugabe pointed a toy gun in a manner likely to be perceived as a real firearm. He was fined 400,000 rand (£17,851) for that offence. Additionally, he was fined 200,000 rand (£8,919.50) for violating immigration laws. The judge ordered police to escort him to Johannesburg's international airport for deportation to Zimbabwe.
Mugabe and his cousin Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, 33, were initially charged with attempted murder after an employee was shot in the back at the Mugabe family home in February. Matonhodze pleaded guilty to attempted murder, firearms offences, defeating the ends of justice, and immigration violations, receiving a three-year prison sentence.
Magistrate Renier Boshoff noted that the sentences were mitigated by the guilty pleas, time served since the shooting, and the victim's wish to withdraw charges after receiving payment. The victim, Sipho Mahlangu, was paid 250,000 rand (£11,150) with an additional 150,000 rand (£6,690) promised.
Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for nearly 40 years before being deposed in a 2017 coup. He died in 2019 at age 95. His sons, including Bellarmine and Robert Junior, gained notoriety for flaunting their lavish lifestyles online.
