{"id":56395,"date":"2026-04-17T20:55:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:55:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/?p=56395"},"modified":"2026-04-17T20:55:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T20:55:20","slug":"utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignmugabes-son-pleads-guilty-to-gun-charge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/2026\/04\/17\/utm_sourcerssutm_mediumrssutm_campaignmugabes-son-pleads-guilty-to-gun-charge\/","title":{"rendered":"Mugabe\u2019s son pleads guilty to gun charge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"mvp-content-main\">&#13;<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-190549\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Mugabes-son-pleads-guilty-to-gun-charge.jpg?resize=469%2C290&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"469\" height=\"290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Mugabes-son-pleads-guilty-to-gun-charge.jpg 469w, https:\/\/fakazanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Bellarmine-Mugabe-300x186.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bellarmine Mugabe, the son of late former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, has pleaded guilty to firearm and immigration-related offences in a South African court, in a case that continues to unfold with unexpected twists.<\/p>\n<p>Appearing before the Alexandra Regional Court, Mugabe admitted to pointing a firearm and breaching immigration laws.<\/p>\n<p>However, he stopped short of taking responsibility for the more serious charges tied to the alleged shooting incident that led to his arrest.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast, his co-accused, Tobias Matonhodze, entered a guilty plea on multiple counts, including attempted murder, illegal possession of a firearm and ammunition, defeating the ends of justice, and immigration violations.<\/p>\n<p>Buzz Life reports that the two accused have entered into a Section 112 plea agreement with the State, marking a shift in proceedings after earlier negotiations reportedly fell apart.<\/p>\n<p>The charges relate to a shooting involving a man identified as Sipho Mahlangu, believed to be a gardener. Both men have remained in custody since their arrest.<\/p>\n<p>During proceedings, defence advocate Laurence Hodes appealed for leniency on Mugabe\u2019s behalf, arguing that his client is willing to pay a fine and even fund his own deportation to Zimbabwe.<\/p>\n<p>He proposed a non-custodial sentence, suggesting options such as a suspended sentence and compensation to the victim.<\/p>\n<p>The State, however, pushed back, raising concerns about the seriousness of the matter.<\/p>\n<p>The investigating officer revealed that the firearm allegedly used in the attempted murder has not yet been recovered, adding that the accused have not assisted authorities in locating it.<\/p>\n<p>In another unexpected development, the firearm charge Mugabe pleaded guilty to is reportedly linked to a separate incident, not the widely reported Hyde Park shooting.<\/p>\n<p>The matter has been postponed to 24 April as the court awaits further clarity on compensation to the victim and the whereabouts of the missing weapon.<\/p>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 4 -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\" async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- Africa tv video display -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-1669381584671856\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"3579572842\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script data-jetpack-boost=\"ignore\">\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script><br \/>\n#Mugabes #son #pleads #guilty #gun #charge<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#13; Bellarmine Mugabe, the son of late former Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, has pleaded guilty to firearm and immigration-related offences&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":56396,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mzansi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56395"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":56397,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56395\/revisions\/56397"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/56396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eduzim.co.zw\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}