Robert Mugabe’s son Chatunga Bellarmine has avoided jail after being fined, while his cousin Tobias Matonhodze has been sentenced to three years in direct imprisonment following a high-profile Johannesburg shooting case.
The Alexandra Magistrates’ Court delivered its ruling on 29 April 2026 after both men had spent more than two months in custody.
The court made it clear that both punishment and fairness were considered. The magistrate addressed the conduct of the accused in strong terms.
“You have spent more than two months in prison,” the magistrate said.
“Entitlement and arrogance should not control us.”
The magistrate added that the court sought to strike a balance.
“The court will balance justice and mercy, but mercy is not sympathy.”
According to the National Prosecuting Authority, the convictions followed guilty pleas entered earlier in April 2026. The authority confirmed that both accused admitted to multiple charges stemming from a violent incident in February.
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, son of former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, was handed financial penalties instead of prison time.
He was sentenced to:
The court confirmed that Mugabe would be deported immediately after sentencing and that he would be accompanied to the airport by immigration officials.
Earlier proceedings revealed that Mugabe had pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and being in South Africa unlawfully. He denied involvement in the attempted murder charge linked to the February 19, 2026, shooting in Hyde Park.
His legal team had indicated his willingness to pay fines and cover deportation costs.
In contrast, co-accused Tobias Tamirepi Mugabe Matonhodze received a direct custodial sentence after admitting to multiple serious offences linked to the February 2026 shooting.
Court documents show that he was convicted on four counts:
The court handed down the following sentences:
All sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective three-year prison term.
The court further ordered that Tobias Tamirepi Mugabe Matonhodze will be deported to Zimbabwe after serving his sentence.
The charges stem from a February 2026 incident at a Hyde Park residence, where a security guard identified as Sipho Mahlangu was shot in the back while attempting to flee. The firearm used in the shooting was not recovered.
The magistrate also said that the victim, Sipho Mahlangu, withdrew the case after being paid R400,000.
