In a dramatic turn of events, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of the late Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, has been ordered to leave South Africa following a court ruling that found him guilty of immigration and firearm-related offences. This decision comes just two months after a violent incident at the Mugabe family residence in Johannesburg, where an employee was shot.
Court Ruling and Deportation
The 28-year-old Mugabe, who has a penchant for flaunting his wealth on social media, was fined a total of 600,000 rand (£26,770) after pleading guilty to two separate charges. The first charge stemmed from an incident in 2023, where he was accused of pointing a toy gun in a manner that could easily be mistaken for a real firearm. The second charge involved violations of South Africa’s immigration laws.
The Johannesburg magistrate, Renier Boshoff, presided over the case, stating, “I do not know whether the second accused took the rap for you, and I can only act on what is before me.” The court also took into consideration the time both Mugabe and his cousin, Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, spent in custody since the shooting incident on 19 February, which has seen Matonhodze sentenced to three years in prison for attempted murder and firearms offences.
The Shooting Incident
The violent episode that escalated into the current legal troubles occurred when an employee, identified