Mugabe, co-accused plead guilty to charges in attempted murder case, argue for voluntary deportation

The son of late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, Bellarmine Mugabe (28), and his co-accused, Tobias Matonhodze (31), pleaded guilty to charges related to a shooting incident that took place earlier this year at Mugabe’s Hyde Park residence. The pair appeared at the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court on Friday, 17 April 2026, a month after abandoning their bail bid.

Mugabe pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm and contravening the Immigration Act by entering and remaining in SA unlawfully.

His cousin, Matonhodze, pleaded guilty to the more serious offences, which included attempted murder, obstructing and defeating the ends of justice, the unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition and contravening the Immigration Act.

The pair faced charges relating to both the 19 February Hyde Park shooting incident and an earlier incident the same month in which Mugabe pointed a firearm.

The pair’s legal team included advocate Laurence Hodes, who represented Julius Malema just a day before during the EFF leader’s sentencing hearing in KuGompo City.

On Friday, Hodes read the statements of both his clients to the court. In his statement, Matonhodze confessed to shooting the victim, an employee named Sipho Mahlangu, in the back twice and then concealing the firearm. The police found two cartridges, but the firearm used in the incident has still not been recovered.

Non-custodial sentences

Hodes argued for the pair to be given a non-custodial sentence, a fine and voluntary deportation as both have the means to pay for their deportation to Zimbabwe, as well as any restitution to the victim.

He further argued that both have no previous convictions or outstanding matters and run farming businesses in Zimbabwe where they hire between 30 and 65 people. Mugabe earns approximately $8,000–$10,000 per month while Matonhodze earns $2,000–$5,000 per month.

Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, the lawyer who has represented the pair throughout most of their case, told reporters outside the court that they were arguing for the two to receive non-custodial sentences based on case law.

He specifically cited the 2010 case of Jacobus Stephanus “Bees” Roux, a former Blue Bulls rugby player, who was granted a non-custodial sentence after he pleaded guilty to beating a police officer to death who had pulled him over for drunk driving. A key part of Roux’s plea deal was that he paid R750,000 to the family of the officer he killed.

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“For instance, if you look at the case of Jacobus Stephanus Roux, that was a far more serious matter than the one that either of our clients have faced. And he also had a non-custodial sentence. So if you just look at jurisprudence and historical case law, we made our submissions based on that,” Mnguni said.

Mnguni added that it was “purely sensationalism” to argue that Matonhodze was taking the fall by pleading guilty to the more serious offences.

“It’s not necessarily true that Mr Mugabe has, in essence, pleaded guilty to the lesser charges. You would understand that some of these charges would, in general terms, be applicable to one person,” he said.

Previous run-ins with the law

While arguing in mitigation, Hodes said that the two had no previous convictions and no outstanding matters. He added that they have since contacted the victim, with the permission of the investigating officer, to provide reparations and that both have set aside money to pay a fine.

While the two do not have previous arrests in South Africa, Mugabe has had run-ins with the law in his home country. In 2025, Mugabe was arrested at a mining site in Mazowe on multiple charges, including assault, after a violent altercation at a gold mining concession left a security guard critically injured.

He and his co-accused were later released on $200 bail. And in 2017, Mugabe and his older brother Robert Jr were reportedly kicked out of their R70,000-a-month Morningside apartment in Johannesburg following a brawl that left a security guard injured.

National Prosecuting Authority Prosecutor Vincent Maphiri called South African Police Service (SAPS) provincial commissioner Colonel CP Raj, who testified that the two did not seem remorseful, as neither had assisted the police in recovering the firearm despite their urging them to assist. He could not confirm whether the SAPS had facilitated compensation between the pair and the victim.

Sentencing has been postponed to allow the SAPS to further investigate the firearm and the pair’s claim of offering the victim compensation. Their next court appearance is scheduled for Friday, 24 April. DM

Additional reporting by Reitumetse Pilane.