Mugabe's son appears in South African court on attempted murder charge

The youngest son of Zimbabwe's former leader Robert Mugabe appeared in a South African court on Monday, charged with attempted murder after a gardener was shot and wounded last week at the Johannesburg mansion where Mugabe's son had been staying.

Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe was not asked to enter a plea. The case against him and a second suspect was postponed until March 3 to allow for further investigations.

Bellarmine Mugabe, believed to be in his late 20s, will remain in custody until his next court appearance, the court heard.

Both men also face a charge of defeating the ends of justice, as police have yet to recover the gun allegedly used in the shooting.

A lawyer for Bellarmine Mugabe, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, declined to comment on his client's position on the charges, saying he would respond to Reuters later.

The gardener remains in hospital following the shooting on Thursday, a police spokesperson said.

Robert Mugabe ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years after independence from Britain in 1980. He was ousted in a military coup in 2017 and died in 2019 at a hospital in Singapore, aged 95.