Chatunga Mugabe Not In South Africa, Says Lawyer After Social Media Claims

The South African lawyer who represented Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe during his recent trial in South Africa has denied social media claims that he is back in the country.

Chatunga, the youngest son of the late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, was deported from South Africa immediately after pleading guilty to two offences in April 2026.

A Johannesburg court ordered Chatunga to pay a fine of US$36,000 or face a two-year prison sentence for brandishing a toy gun in a way that made it look real, and for being in the country illegally.

Chatunga was arrested on 19 February alongside his cousin, Tobias Matonhodze, after an employee at his home in the upmarket Johannesburg suburb of Hyde Park was shot in the back.

Mugabe and Matonhodze were initially charged with attempted murder.

After a failed plea deal, Mugabe, 28, admitted to being in South Africa illegally and to pointing a toy gun in a separate incident. Matonhodze, 32, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and other charges.

Matonhodze was sentenced to three years in prison. He also admitted to illegal immigration, possession of ammunition, and defeating the ends of justice after police failed to recover the firearm.

Over the weekend, social media posts claimed Chatunga had been spotted shopping at Waterfall Corner in Midrand.

However, speaking to SABC News, Chatunga’s lawyer, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, denied that he had been in South Africa since his deportation.

“We’ve taken his instructions insofar as the whereabouts of Mr Mugabe, and our instructions are clear. Mr Mugabe is currently not in the Republic of South Africa,” said Mnguni.

Asked where Mugabe currently is, Mnguni said: “I’m not at liberty to disclose where he is, but I can assure you that he’s not within the borders of the Republic of South Africa.”

He said an image of Chatunga shopping in a South African store, which was widely circulated on Sunday, is not current but an old image.

“I think the image that was used of my client is an old image. My client has been banned from entering the Republic of South Africa for a period of five years on account of the sentence which he received from the Alexandra Magistrates Court,” said Mnguni.

“So he certainly would not want to flout the laws or a court order, which in essence banned him from entering the country for five years. So, no, he certainly hasn’t been since late April.”

On whether Chatunga wants to return to South Africa once the five-year ban ends, Mnguni said it is a subject he has not discussed with his client.

“That’s something that we haven’t discussed. And should the need or the desire to enter the borders of South Africa arise, then, of course, we will follow the proper channels,” said Mnguni.

“At this stage, it’s not something that’s been communicated. And as I stated earlier, there’s a five-year period within which he cannot enter the borders of the Republic of South Africa. So at this point, it’s not something that is even a consideration.”