OHANNESBURG
\nThe youngest son of Zimbabwe\u2019s 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.
\nBellarmine 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\u2019s posh Hyde Park district.
\nMugabe pleaded guilty to being in South Africa illegally and pointing a gun in a separate incident, while Matonhodze pleaded guilty to attempted murder.
\nMatonhodze, 32, also admitted to contravening immigration and firearm laws.
\n\u201cWe had initially engaged with the state with the intention of finalizing a plea and sentencing agreement but those discussions collapsed at the last minute,\u201d Mugabe\u2019s counsel Sinenhlanhla Mnguni said.
\nHe dismissed suggestions that Matonhodze was taking the fall for Mugabe, calling the claims \u201cvery ludicrous.\u201d
\nThe firearm used in the shooting has not been recovered since the two were arrested on February 19.
\nThe case was adjourned to April 24.
\nBellarmine 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.
\nMugabe, who died in 2019, was in power for 37 years before he was ousted in a 2017 coup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
OHANNESBURG The youngest son of Zimbabwe\u2019s 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":542434,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-542406","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n