JOHANNESBURG,
South
Africa
–
The
youngest
son
of
Zimbabwe’s
former
leader
Robert
Mugabe
pleaded
guilty
on
Friday
to
pointing
a
gun
and
illegally
being
in
South
Africa
but
denied
shooting
and
badly
wounding
his
gardener
after
an
altercation.
Bellarmine
Chatunga
Mugabe,
29,
had
been
in
police
custody
with
his
cousin
and
co-accused,
Tobias
Mugabe
Matonhodze,
on
attempted
murder
charges
following
the
incident
in
Johannesburg’s
posh
Hyde
Park
district.
Mugabe
pleaded
guilty
to
being
in
South
Africa
illegally
and
pointing
a
gun
in
a
separate
incident,
while
Matonhodze
pleaded
guilty
to
attempted
murder.
Matonhodze,
32,
also
admitted
to
contravening
immigration
and
firearm
laws.
“We
had
initially
engaged
with
the
state
with
the
intention
of
finalizing
a
plea
and
sentencing
agreement
but
those
discussions
collapsed
at
the
last
minute,”
Mugabe’s
counsel
Sinenhlanhla
Mnguni
said.
He
dismissed
suggestions
that
Matonhodze
was
taking
the
fall
for
Mugabe,
calling
the
claims
“very
ludicrous.”
Advocate
Laurence
Hodes
argued
in
mitigation
for
the
two
men,
saying
Mugabe
is
willing
to
pay
a
fine
and
meet
the
costs
for
his
own
deportation
to
Zimbabwe.
Hodes
asked
for
suspended
sentences
for
both,
which
he
said
will
serve
as
a
“warning”
to
them,
a
monetary
fine,
and
compensation
to
the
victim.
The
firearm
used
in
the
shooting
has
not
been
recovered
since
the
two
were
arrested
on
February
19,
and
the
police
lead
investigator
told
the
court
that
this
was
a
sign
that
Matonhodze
had
no
remorse.
The
case
was
adjourned
to
April
24
for
prosecutors
to
verify
if
the
gardener
Sipho
Mahlangu
was
compensated,
and
for
Matonhodze
to
provide
details
on
where
the
firearm
used
in
the
shooting
can
be
found.
Bellarmine
is
one
of
two
sons
that
Robert
Mugabe
had
with
his
second
wife
Grace.
The
brothers
have
at
times
lived
in
Johannesburg,
where
they
have
gained
a
reputation
for
partying
and
living
the
high
life.
Mugabe,
who
died
in
2019,
was
in
power
for
37
years
before
he
was
ousted
in
a
2017
coup.