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2h ago

South Africa Fines Mugabe’s Son R600,000 and Orders Immediate Deportation

The case shows South African courts will pair criminal penalties with deportation orders for immigration breaches.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, left, son of former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe, appears at the Alexandra Magistrates Court in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, April 17, 2026, after submitting partial guilty pleas on separate charges linked to a February shooting at his home. (AP Photo/Kayleen Morgan)
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Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, son of late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, looks on during his court appearance on attempted murder charges, after a gardener was shot and injured last week at the Johannesburg mansion where Chatunga was staying, at the Alexandra Magistrate's Court in Johannesburg, South Africa February 23, 2026. REUTERS/Oupa Nkosi/File Photo
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe (left) is the youngest son of Robert Mugabe

Overview

  • Bellarmine Mugabe, sentenced Wednesday in Johannesburg, received R600,000 in fines and an order to be escorted to OR Tambo International Airport for deportation to Zimbabwe.
  • He pleaded guilty to being in South Africa illegally and to pointing a toy gun in a separate incident after prosecutors did not pursue an attempted murder charge under a plea deal.
  • His cousin Tobias Matonhodze admitted attempted murder over the February 19 shooting of worker Sipho Mahlangu and received a three-year prison term with deportation to follow.
  • Court testimony said Mahlangu is due R400,000 in compensation, with R250,000 already paid and R150,000 outstanding.
  • Police have not recovered the firearm used in the shooting, which investigators flagged as an unresolved gap during sentencing arguments.