Mugabe’s Son Sentencing Delayed Over ‘Hush Money,’
The sentencing of Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, and his co-accused cousin Tobias Matonhodze has been postponed to Wednesday, April 29, after a South African court heard startling new evidence of an alleged cover-up involving a cash payment to the shooting victim.
The postponement on Friday came as prosecutors revealed that the victim was offered 400,000 rand (about $21,500) to withdraw his cooperation, and that the firearm used in the February 2026 shooting remains missing despite a police search that included a swimming pool.
The ‘Compensation’ Deal
Investigating officer Colonel Raj Ramchunder told the Randburg Magistrate’s Court that the victim received an initial 250,000 rand in cash after agreeing to a payment arrangement. A further 150,000 rand was promised, according to the officer.
“The payment was made to keep his mouth shut,” Ramchunder testified. He said he had no part in the arrangement and urged the judge to impose a harsh sentence.
The victim confirmed the payment to police the day before the hearing. Prosecutors argue the payment was an attempt to defeat the ends of justice, not a gesture of genuine remorse.
Missing Firearm Raises Alarm
Police told the court they searched the Hyde Park residence where the shooting occurred, including the house, the yard, and the swimming pool – the latter with divers using magnets. The weapon was not recovered.
Both accused have refused to disclose the firearm’s location, according to investigators. The prosecution warned that a missing functional weapon poses an ongoing public safety risk.
Charges and Plea Deal
Bellarmine Mugabe, 28, avoided an attempted murder charge by agreeing to a plea deal. He pleaded guilty to pointing a firearm or an object resembling a firearm – at the victim in a separate incident, and to contravening South Africa’s Immigration Act by overstaying his visa after re-entering the country in 2025.
His cousin Tobias Matonhodze, 33, pleaded guilty to more serious charges: attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and immigration violations. His lawyer denied that Matonhodze was taking the fall for Mugabe.
Defense Argues for Leniency
Defense lawyers described both men as first-time offenders who had already spent months in custody. They requested a non-custodial sentence, such as a suspended sentence or a fine, noting that Mugabe earns between $8,000 and $10,000 monthly from cattle farming in Zimbabwe and has the means to pay.
A Family History of Legal Troubles
The case is the latest in a series of legal woes for the Mugabe family in South Africa. In 2017, Bellarmine’s mother, Grace Mugabe, was accused of assaulting a model with an extension cord at a Johannesburg hotel but was granted diplomatic immunity. His older brother, Robert Mugabe Jr., appeared in a Harare court last year on a drug possession charge.
Bellarmine Mugabe was previously arrested in Zimbabwe in 2024 for allegedly assaulting a police officer and in June 2025 for allegedly assaulting a security guard in Mazowe.
The court will reconvene on April 29 to deliver its sentence. The key questions for the magistrate are whether the payment to the victim will be seen as a genuine attempt at restitution or as an obstruction of justice and whether the missing firearm will tip the scales toward a prison term.
