Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s late president, alongside his bodyguard Tobias Tamirepi Matonhodze, was detained by security officials following the shooting of a 23-year-old man at a home in a posh Johannesburg neighborhood.
The victim is currently receiving treatment and is said to be in critical condition.
Both Mugabe’s youngest son and his bodyguard, who are currently facing trial in a South African court in relation to the shooting, have refused to release any statement.
Current evidence brought against both suspects in court includes bullet cartridges, which law enforcement agents uncovered during their search of the Hyde Park property where the incident occurred.
However, the gun used in the shooting is yet to be located, as reported by the BBC.
According to the prosecutors, Bellarmine Mugabe and his 33-year-old bodyguard are also charged with thwarting the ends of justice in connection with the lost pistol.
“An altercation occurred between the victim and the accused inside Mugabe’s home,” the prosecution alleged.
Per a statement from the National Prosecuting Authority, the victim was allegedly “shot in the back and collapsed outside the gate” while trying to escape, after which the gate was shut.
The proceedings against Matonhodze and Mugabe were adjourned until March 3rd, at which time a bail application would be presented.
Robert Mugabe Jr’s cannabis case last year
Robert Mugabe Jr. was apprehended in Harare in October of last year after law enforcement officials stated that cannabis was discovered in his possession during a routine traffic stop.
When officers pulled over and searched him, they allegedly found two 2-gram sachets of cannabis, worth around $30 USD on the black market.
In addition to Mugabe Jr., authorities claimed that they detained three individuals connected to his alleged narcotics syndicate.
They reportedly found six ecstasy pills and twenty-five sachets of Indo-hybrid cannabis from that group.
In addition to the cannabis, prosecutors told the court, officers discovered rolling sheets and a small grinder in Mugabe Jr.’s silver Honda Fit.
His attorney alleged that the police had overstated the quantity of drugs discovered and claimed they were not his but rather belonged to other travelers.
This isn’t his first confrontation with the law. In 2023, he was detained on charges of damaging property and spitting on a police officer at a Harare party.
