Bellarmine Mugabe, the 28-year-old son of Zimbabwe's late former president Robert Mugabe, has pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and illegal immigration in a South African court. The charges stem from a February incident at his upscale Johannesburg home, where a 23-year-old man was critically shot.
Mugabe appeared alongside co-accused Tobias Matonhodze, 33, who admitted to attempted murder, defeating justice, illegal immigration, and ammunition possession. Prosecutors revealed that Mugabe's attempted murder charge was dropped after Matonhodze confessed to being the shooter.
"Both defendants indicated they would voluntarily return to Zimbabwe at their own expense if they avoid prison sentences," their lawyers told the Alexandra court.
The shooting occurred during an altercation inside the Hyde Park residence, with the victim shot twice in the back while attempting to escape. Police responding to the February 19 call found the wounded man, believed to be a security guard, who required hospitalization. Authorities have yet to locate the firearm used.
This marks another legal entanglement for Bellarmine Mugabe, who faced assault charges in Zimbabwe in 2024 for allegedly attacking a police officer and again in 2025 for assaulting a mining site guard. Those cases remain unresolved.
Sentencing has been scheduled for April 24, with both men remaining in custody until then. The guilty plea to pointing a firearm relates to a separate incident that Mugabe agreed to have consolidated with the immigration case.
Bellarmine is one of two sons from Robert Mugabe's marriage to Grace Mugabe. The former president, who ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years until his 2017 ouster, died in 2019.