Overview
- Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe and his cousin Tobias Matonhodze entered guilty pleas Friday in the Alexandra Regional Court under a deal with prosecutors.
- Matonhodze admitted to attempted murder, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, defeating the ends of justice, and immigration offences, while Mugabe admitted to pointing a firearm and breaking South Africa’s immigration laws.
- Sentencing was set for April 24 after the court said it must confirm the victim’s compensation and the location of the gun used in the shooting.
- The investigating officer told the court the firearm used was illegal, that Matonhodze is undocumented in South Africa, and that the accused have not helped police find the weapon.
- The defence said the men have compensated the victim, have no prior convictions, and seek suspended sentences with fines and voluntary return to Zimbabwe, a stance that could shape immigration and gun-law consequences in the case.