Bellarmine Mugabe to remain behind bars for another week on attempted murder charges

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, 28, the son of the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, will spend another week in custody following the postponement of his bail hearing on Monday, 23 February 2026, at the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court.

Mugabe made his first court appearance alongside his co-accused, Tobias Tamirepi Matonhodze, 33, where they are facing charges in connection with the shooting of an employee at Mugabe’s Hyde Park residence on Thursday, 19 February.

The pair appeared in court wearing black and are facing three charges: attempted murder under the doctrine of common purpose, defeating the ends of justice and obstruction, and possession of a firearm. The firearm used in the shooting has yet to be recovered despite an extensive search of Mugabe’s residence.

State prosecutor Lufuno Maphiri said the State “highly suspected” the two concealed the weapon. He argued for the bail hearing to be postponed as the State needed more time to complete its investigations, including assessing the suspects’ legal status.

It remains unclear who shot the victim, and the victim has not yet been publicly identified. Mugabe’s lawyers declined to comment.

“It is alleged that an altercation occurred between the victim and the accused inside Mugabe’s home. The accused allegedly assaulted the victim, who attempted to flee but was shot in the back and collapsed outside the gate. One of the accused allegedly took the remote control from the victim, returned to the property, and closed the gate,” said NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole.

“A security guard from a neighbouring house allegedly noticed the victim lying outside and alerted the police. The accused were subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, theft, and contravention of the Immigration Act.

“The State requested a seven-day postponement to verify outstanding information. The matter was postponed to 3 March 2026 for a formal bail application. Both accused remain in custody.”

Immunity question

The police were called to Mugabe’s residence on Thursday after shots were fired. Mugabe and his co-accused were subsequently arrested at the Bramley Police Station after a two-hour negotiation with the police.

The police returned to the Hyde Park residence to recover the gun along with a forensics team, K-9 unit and diving team. But after a weekend of searching the residence, the firearm has yet to be located.

On Thursday night, the head of public diplomacy for the Department of International Relations and Cooperation, Clayson Manyela, clarified on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account that Mugabe would not automatically be granted diplomatic immunity, as immunity was derived from official capacity and Mugabe was not part of a diplomatic mission.

“Family members of the head of state (in this case, former [head of state]) do not automatically benefit from immunity from jurisdiction in a foreign state like South Africa. Immunity does not protect against serious international crimes and generally does not apply if the child is a national or permanent resident of the receiving state,” Manyela said.

Mugabe is Robert Mugabe’s third child with his wife Grace Mugabe. Members of the Mugabe family have had several run-ins with the law while living or staying in SA. Bellarmine and his brother Robert Jnr were reportedly kicked out of their R70,000-a-month Morningside apartment in 2017 after a brawl left a security guard injured.

In 2017, Grace Mugabe allegedly assaulted a South African model in a Sandton hotel room and was controversially allowed to leave the country after being granted diplomatic immunity. In 2018, prosecutors issued an arrest warrant for her after a court annulled her immunity.

According to reports in News24, Grace Mugabe reportedly fears being arrested if she returns to SA to support her son. DM