In a dramatic turn of events, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, has been ordered to leave South Africa following a court ruling on 29 April 2026. This comes two months after a violent incident at the Mugabe family residence in Johannesburg, where an employee was shot. In a separate case, Mugabe has been fined for immigration violations and the unlawful display of a replica firearm.
Legal Woes Escalate
The court’s decision to deport Mugabe follows a series of legal troubles linked to a shooting that occurred on 19 February, when an employee named Sipho Mahlangu was shot in the back at the Mugabe home in a posh Johannesburg suburb. Initially, both Mugabe and his cousin, Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, faced attempted murder charges related to this incident. While Matonhodze has since pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including attempted murder and firearms offences, he was sentenced to three years in prison.
In stark contrast, Bellarmine Mugabe faced charges that were unrelated to the shooting. He pleaded guilty to immigration violations and to pointing a toy gun in a manner likely to be mistaken for a real firearm. The court imposed a fine of 400,000 rand (£17,851) for the toy gun incident from 2023 and an additional 200,000 rand (£8,919.50) for breaching immigration laws. Following the judge’s ruling, Mugabe was escorted to Johannesburg’s international airport for deportation back to Zimbabwe.
A Controversial Legacy
The Mugabe name carries a heavy burden of history. Robert Mugabe, who led Zimbabwe for nearly four
