Attempted murder accused Bellarmine Mugabe drops bail bid, wants plea deal

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe (28), son of late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, and his co-accused, Tobias Tamirepi Matonhodze (33), will remain behind bars after their legal team abandoned their bail application and pivoted to possible plea negotiations at the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 11 March.

The move is related to the pair’s legal statuses in South Africa. They have been charged with contravening the Immigration Act, which allows Zimbabweans to stay in the country without a visa for up to 90 days.

They have also been charged with pointing a firearm, possession of a firearm, attempted murder and defeating the ends of justice in connection with the shooting of an employee at Mugabe’s Hyde Park residence on 19 February 2026.

The gun used has not been located by authorities. The employee was admitted to hospital in critical condition.

Mugabe and Matonhodze’s lawyer, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, told reporters it had been “brought to their attention” by the prosecution that the two were in the country illegally, which would harm their chances of getting bail. While he confirmed that they would enter possible plea negotiations, he was unable to confirm whether they intended to plead guilty to one or more of the charges.

“We must remember that there are multiple charges. And, of course, we need to take instructions on each and every one, and, of course, consider whether they’re intending [to plead guilty], failing which, of course, the matter can then proceed to trial,” Mnguni said.

In a statement, NPA Gauteng spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole confirmed Mugabe and Matonhodze had entered into plea negotiations, but did not elaborate on the possible deal.

The shooting victim has still not been identified and there are no further updates available on his condition.

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Case a ‘rare instance’ of powerful held accountable

The case has brought renewed attention to the former first family’s history of flaunting their wealth in an economically declining Zimbabwe and legal troubles both at home and abroad. Bellarmine is Robert and Grace Mugabe’s third son.

Grace Mugabe made headlines in 2017 after she allegedly assaulted a model in Sandton. She was allowed to leave South Africa under diplomatic immunity. The controversial decision was reversed by a court in 2018, meaning that if she returns to South Africa she could face arrest.

That year, brothers Bellarmine and Robert Jnr were reportedly kicked out of their R70,000-a-month Morningside apartment after a brawl left a security guard injured.

The family faced other legal challenges in Zimbabwe between 2017 and 2025, including property damage, possession of cannabis, assaulting a police officer and assaulting a security guard.

Tendai Ruben Mbofana, a Zimbabwean social justice activist and writer, told Daily Maverick that in Zimbabwe the case has tapped into deeper concerns about power, privilege and the uneven application of the law at home.

“Public discourse in Zimbabwe – on social media, in news commentary and in civic circles – has been less about sympathy for the individual and more about what the case symbolises: a rare instance where someone perceived as connected to power is being held publicly to account, even if it is outside Zimbabwe. There is also discussion around the optics of entitlement, legal compliance, residency and the behaviour of elites abroad,” he said.

He added that there is “no indication” that the trial would create lasting tensions between Zimbabwe and South Africa.

The plea negotiations are scheduled to begin on 17 March at the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court. DM