Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe’s deceased former President Robert Mugabe, was officially charged with attempted murder when he appeared before a court in South Africa.
As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, South African authorities arrested Bellarmine, 28, on February 19 at a home in a plush neighborhood in Johannesburg after a 23-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound.
Bellarmine and his bodyguard, identified as Tobias Tamirepi Matonhodze, 33, were ultimately arrested in connection with the shooting, BBC reported. The two suspects have, however, not addressed the charges, and Bellarmine was seemingly not tensed up when he appeared before the court.
Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, who is Bellarmine’s lawyer, informed reporters outside the court that the 28-year-old was “fine” while he continues to be detained.
The shooting victim is currently receiving treatment in a hospital, and his condition has been listed as critical.
Police said that though officers found bullet cartridges after searching the home in the aftermath of the shooting, no firearm was retrieved.
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Besides attempted murder, Bellarmine and Matonhodze have also been charged with defeating the ends of justice, an allegation in connection with the unretrieved firearm.
In a statement, South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority claimed that the victim was shot during an “altercation” that “occurred between the victim and the accused inside Mugabe’s home.”
Prosecutors also claimed that the victim was “shot in the back and collapsed outside the gate” while trying to escape. The gate was subsequently closed, BBC reported.
Bellarmine and Matonhodze’s next court appearance is scheduled for March 3, and a bail application is expected to be filed.
Bellarmine’s father, Robert Mugabe, resigned as president of Zimbabwe on November 21, 2017, after ruling the Southern African country for 37 years. His resignation came after the Zimbabwe National Army instigated an overthrow of Mugabe’s regime by placing him under house arrest for the crimes committed by individuals in his circle.
Mugabe was given the ultimatum to either resign by November 20, 2017, or face impeachment. He subsequently chose the former. His retirement sparked nationwide jubilations as Zimbabweans celebrated the dawn of a new era. Mugabe’s vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, whom he fired on November 6, 2017, was later sworn in as the new president.
Mugabe died at a hospital in Singapore on September 6, 2019. He was 95.
