Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, has been fined a total of R600,000 and deported to Zimbabwe following sentencing in a Johannesburg court on Wednesday.
Mugabe was ordered to pay R400,000 or serve 24 months in prison for pointing a firearm, and a further R200,000 or 18 months for contravening South Africa’s Immigration Act after being found in the country illegally. He was taken from court to O. R. Tambo International Airport and immediately deported.
His co-accused and cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, received an effective 12-month prison sentence after multiple counts were consolidated to run concurrently. The 33-year-old had initially been handed sentences of 12 months on two counts, three years on another, and a further 12 months, but will serve one year before deportation to Zimbabwe.
The case stems from a shooting incident earlier this year at Mugabe’s Hyde Park residence in Johannesburg, where a security guard, Sipho Mahlangu, was injured. Last week, the court heard that Mahlangu was to receive R400,000 in compensation, with R250,000 already paid and R150,000 outstanding.
Mugabe pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and violating immigration laws. The firearm offence was linked to a separate incident that occurred weeks before the Hyde Park shooting.
Matonhodze admitted to more serious charges, including attempted murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and defeating the ends of justice. Prosecutors had initially sought significantly harsher penalties, arguing that the accused had failed to disclose the whereabouts of the firearm used in the incident, which they said indicated a lack of remorse.
The defence argued for a non-custodial sentence for Mugabe, citing his guilty plea as a sign of accountability. Lawyers also suggested the firearm may have been removed by another individual present at the scene.
Both men were also found to have contravened immigration laws.
Mugabe’s deportation followed immediately after sentencing, while Matonhodze is expected to serve his prison term in South Africa before being deported.
