Mugabe's Son and Cousin Plead Guilty in SA Shooting Case

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of Zimbabwe's late former president Robert Mugabe, and his cousin Tobias Matonhodze pleaded guilty on Friday to multiple charges in South Africa's Alexandra Magistrates Court, stemming from a February shooting at Mugabe's upscale residence in Johannesburg's Hyde Park suburb.

The incident occurred on February 19, 2026, when an altercation erupted between the two men and a 23-year-old employee, Sipho Mahlangu, who worked as a security guard at the property. According to court proceedings, Mahlangu was assaulted during the confrontation and then shot twice in the back as he tried to flee, collapsing outside the residence gate. He survived the attack but was left in critical condition. Matonhodze, 33, admitted to the attempted murder charge, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, defeating the ends of justice by attempting to conceal the weapon, and two counts of contravening South Africa's Immigration Act. Mugabe, 28, pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm at Mahlangu and two counts of breaching immigration laws by being in the country illegally. He denied direct involvement in the shooting.