South Africa Expels Mugabe’s Son After Firearm Case and Immigration Violations

Pic: Gallo Images via Getty Images

The son of Zimbabwe’s late leader Robert Mugabe has been ordered deported from South Africa following a court ruling tied to firearm-related and immigration offences.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the youngest son of the former president, was fined and instructed to leave the country after pleading guilty to charges including brandishing an object perceived as a firearm and residing in South Africa unlawfully. The ruling was delivered by a magistrate in Johannesburg, who ordered his immediate deportation after the penalties were imposed.

The case stems partly from a broader investigation earlier in 2026, when Mugabe and his cousin were arrested following a shooting incident at a Johannesburg residence. An employee at the property was injured after being shot, prompting attempted murder charges against both men at the time. However, Mugabe later reached a plea agreement with prosecutors, allowing him to avoid trial on the more serious charge by admitting to lesser offences unrelated to the shooting.

While Mugabe was not convicted in connection with the shooting itself, the court found him guilty of separate violations, including pointing a gun-like object in a threatening manner and breaching immigration laws. He was fined a combined sum equivalent to tens of thousands of dollars, with the alternative being a prison sentence.

His co-accused, Tobias Mugabe Matonhodze, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and additional offences, receiving a prison sentence before also facing deportation. Authorities noted that the firearm used in the shooting incident has not been recovered, raising ongoing concerns about the circumstances surrounding the case.

Mugabe has since been returned to Zimbabwe, bringing an end—at least for now—to a case that has attracted regional and international attention.