A court in Johannesburg has ordered the immediate deportation of Bellarmine Mugabe, the youngest son of late Zimbabwean leader Robert Mugabe, following his conviction on firearms and immigration-related charges.
The 28-year-old pleaded guilty earlier this month to pointing what was believed to be a firearm and residing illegally in South Africa. He was also fined $36,000 (£26,700).
Mugabe was arrested on 19 February after a shooting incident at his home in the upscale Hyde Park Johannesburg neighbourhood. A 23-year-old man who worked at the property was critically injured and hospitalised after being shot twice as he attempted to flee.
Prosecutors said the shooting followed an argument inside the residence. Authorities have not recovered the weapon, though the presiding judge stated it was a toy gun that could reasonably be mistaken for a real firearm.
His cousin and co-accused, Tobias Matonhodze, received a three-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to attempted murder, illegal immigration, possession of ammunition and defeating the ends of justice.
Mugabe had initially faced an attempted murder charge, but this was dropped after Matonhodze accepted responsibility. Prosecutors said the firearm charge related to a separate incident, though both cases were heard together.
The National Prosecuting Authority confirmed that Mugabe agreed to the combined proceedings earlier this month.
The case adds to a string of legal troubles involving Mugabe. In 2024, he was arrested in the border town of Beitbridge for allegedly assaulting a police officer. A warrant was later issued after he failed to appear in court.
In 2025, he was again detained over an alleged assault on a security guard at a mining site in Mazowe. That case remains ongoing.
Bellarmine Mugabe is one of two sons from Robert Mugabe’s marriage to Grace Mugabe. The former president ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years before being removed from power in a 2017 military takeover and died in 2019.