Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe has been fined R600,000 and will be deported to his hometown Zimbabwe after a shooting at the family’s property in Hyde Park, Johannesburg.
His cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, was ordered to serve jail time by the Alexandra magistrate’s court on Wednesday.
The pair have been incarcerated since the shooting of a worker at the luxury home on February 19. The worker accepted a R400,000 payout as compensation, the court heard at a previous appearance.
The younger son of late Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, as part of a plea deal, was found guilty of pointing of “an object likely to be perceived as a firearm” [a replica gun].
This relates to an incident prior to the wounding of the worker. Due to the plea deal that was struck, the details of this are unclear.
Mugabe, 28, was also convicted of contravening the Immigration Act, with the court hearing that he had been unlawfully living in SA over a prolonged period.
He was fined R400,000 or 24 months’ imprisonment for the first count, and R200,000 or 18 months’ imprisonment for the immigration offence.
The court ordered that Mugabe be deported, with arrangements to be overseen by immigration authorities at Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport.
Matonhodze, 33, was sentenced on four counts: attempted murder, defeating or obstructing the course of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm, and unlawful possession of ammunition.
He was sentenced to three years imprisonment on the one charge and 12 months imprisonment on the others, all of which are to run concurrently.
The court ordered that Matonhodze be deported after serving his sentence.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the charges arose from an altercation with a security guard at the Mugabe home. During the incident, a gardener was assaulted and shot twice in the back while attempting to flee. He collapsed outside the gate, where he was discovered by a neighbouring security guard, who alerted the police.
Forensic evidence confirmed the presence of gunshot residue on Matonhodze’s hands, the NPA said.
TimesLIVE
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.