Mugabe's Son Gives Up on Bail as Shooting Case Takes New Turn

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, son of Zimbabwe's late former president Robert Mugabe, and his co-accused Tobias Matonhodze have abandoned their bail application in a South African court.

The two were arrested on 17 February 2026 after a 23-year-old gardener was shot at Mugabe's Hyde Park home in Johannesburg.

Mugabe and Matonhodze appeared in the Alexandra Magistrate's Court on Tuesday 10 March. Their case has now been transferred to the regional court and postponed to 17 March to allow for plea negotiations. By dropping their bail application, the pair will remain in custody until then.

It has been nearly a month since the two were arrested following the shooting at Mugabe's Hyde Park residence. Police confirmed that a 23-year-old man was shot and wounded at the property. The charges laid against the two are serious and include attempted murder, possessing a firearm without a license, and attempting to cover their tracks by defeating the ends of justice.