(FILES) The second son to the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, Bellarmine Mugabe, sit in a military helicopter next to his mother Grace (R) accompanying the casket with remains of Mugabe as they leave the Blue Roof mansion on September 12, 2019 for public viewing, to the Rufaro Stadium in Harare. The youngest son of former Zimbabwean ruler Robert Mugabe was in police custody after a gardener was shot at his South Africa home on Thursday, media reported. Police said they were investigating a case of attempted murder after the shooting in a wealthy suburb north of Johannesburg and had taken two men in for questioning. A police spokeswoman declined to identify the men but several South African media outlets reported that one of them was Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe. (Photo by ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP)
Stop me if you have heard this one before:
There was once a powerful figure accused of committing a crime, who promised to cooperate with authorities. They were being “monitored” by law enforcement and expected to appear at a local police station, but instead they detoured to the nearest airport and took a plane out of here.
Efforts to get them back were weak, and they now live the life of a fugitive in name only, with both them and us knowing they will never face the music in our courts.
I could have been speaking of several people, from Shepard Bushiri and the Guptas to businessmen involved in multi-billion-rand VAT and tax fraud syndicates.
In 2017, that was the story of Grace Mugabe.
Nearly ten years later, it could be the tale of her son Chatunga Bellarmine Mugabe.
Mugabe, the son of former Zimbabwean president Robert, has lived a life of luxury and privilege in South Africa for several years. Far from reality and accountability.
The family mansion he stayed in frequently housed “political exiles” and even some rough characters, with gunfire from the house reportedly as frequent as flu in winter.
Now it has all caught up with him.
He appeared in the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court this week following a labour dispute that nearly turned deadly.
Several reports on the incident have emerged, with the state on Monday explaining the cold way in which the victim was allegedly shot in the back, and his body left on the driveway outside.
One of Mugabe or his co-accused allegedly “took the remote control from the victim, returned to the property, and closed the gate”.
What follows was a cover-up that has led to police searching multiple properties, using K9 and diving units, and turning the house upside down to find the gun, all to no avail.
It appeared Mugabe panicked at first and locked himself away for two hours before police eventually escorted him out of the house. Suddenly, the flashy son of a former president was scared, but even in the face of arrest, defiant and disrespectful.
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No sick leave for Mugabe
In a claim that was probably leaked to get sympathy ahead of his bail application, Mugabe reportedly collapsed twice while in custody because he suffers from a medical condition.
But while medical conditions may help former SA presidents, their advisors, and ministers get out of jail, the trend should not continue for a 29-year-old playboy just because he is Bob’s son.
He should be treated like any other accused, and the matter should be given the seriousness the charges demand.
Trying to kill someone, then trying to cover it up, are major allegations and, if found guilty, carry lengthy jail times. The additional charges of the firearm being unlicensed and contravening the immigration act just confirm the sheer disrespect that Mugabe and his co-accused have for South African law.
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No Mugabe arrest Déjà vu
Perhaps he thinks he will get away with it because of the weakened policing and criminal justice system in South Africa, or because his father was friends with those still in government, and the frightening reality is that he may.
His mother is also in trouble with the SA police, after she allegedly assaulted a 20-year-old woman with an extension cord when she found the model in a hotel room with her sons.
She reportedly promised to hand herself over at the Sandton police station, but then fled to Zimbabwe. She was granted diplomatic immunity, only for this to later be declared unlawful and unconstitutional.
She is now reportedly in Singapore but is worried about her son and wants him “back in Zimbabwe”. Will she be able to pull strings in South Africa to make it happen?
Will the ease with which Grace left the country, and the lengths the SA government went to protect her, be forgotten when the court assesses whether her son is a flight risk during his bail application next week?
If he is to be released on hundreds of thousands of rand bail, it may be a small price to pay for freedom to jump the border.
This is an opportunity for the magistrate to help build trust in a judiciary that, according to official government statistics, is seen as incompetent and corrupt.
It is a chance to show that a person’s standing before the law is not determined by their surname.
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