By Enyichukwu Enemanna
The youngest son of late Zimbabwe’s President, Robert Mugabe on Friday pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and illegally living in South Africa.
Bellarmine Mugabe, 28 entered guilty pleas to the two charges after he was arrested in February following the shooting of a 23-year-old man at his home in Johannesburg.
The late President’s son has been held in custody alongside co-accused Tobias Matonhodze, and appeared before an Alexandra court on Friday.
Lawyers for the men told the court they were prepared to return to their country of origin, Zimbabwe at their own cost if they do not receive a custodial sentence.
Matonhodze, 33, pleaded guilty to attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, illegal immigration and possession of ammunition.
Mugabe who was also previously charged with attempted murder spoke only to confirm that he understood the charges and to enter his pleas.
BBC quoted a spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) of saying that it wasn’t initially clear who had fired the gun but after Matonhodze admitted it was him, the charges of attempted murder against Mugabe were dropped.
Both men were arrested on 19 February after police were called to Mugabe’s home in the upmarket Johannesburg suburb of Hyde Park.
A man, believed to be a security guard, was taken to hospital in a critical condition after he was shot.
Prosecutors previously told the court that the shooting followed a row between the three men inside the property, and that the victim was shot twice in the back outside as he tried to flee.
Authorities had carried out a search of the home but were yet to find the gun.
Sentencing proceedings have been adjourned till 24 April, the NPA said.
Since Mugabe’s arrest, the case has faced several delays and his bail hearing was postponed twice.
This is not the first time Mugabe has had a brush with the law. In 2024 he was arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer in the Zimbabwean border town of Beitbridge.
He was given bail but a warrant for his arrest was later issued after he failed to appear in court, Zimbabwe’s state-owned Herald newspaper reported at the time.
