Mugabe Cousin Begins Three-Year Jail Term As Chatunga Deported

Tobias Tamirepi Mugabe Matonhodze, cousin of the deported Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, begins serving a three-year prison sentence on Thursday, 30 April 2026.

On Wednesday, the Alexandra Magistrates’ Court handed Matonhodze a custodial sentence, while his co-accused returned to Zimbabwe after paying a R600,000 fine.

Matonhodze pleaded guilty to charges including attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition, and contravening the Immigration Act.

Passing sentence, Magistrate Renier Boshoff said Matonhodze’s guilty plea and decision to place himself at the mercy of the court had counted in his favour.

“It took some guts from you to plead guilty to all these counts, so basically, what you did [accused] number 2, you put yourself at the mercy of this court by pleading guilty. That says quite a lot in your favour,” said the magistrate.

Boshoff added that, notwithstanding Matonhodze’s guilty plea, a custodial sentence remained necessary given the gravity of the offences.

“All these offences are offences where direct long-term imprisonment [applies]. I’m talking 10 to 15 years, even longer, is the rule rather than the exception.”

Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, who represented both Matonhodze and Mugabe, denied that his client had taken the fall for the former president’s son, while suggesting he could qualify for early release.

“I think when you look at it holistically, both accused received the mercy of the court.”

More: EWN

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