Lawyers representing Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, the son of late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, have dismissed social media claims that he has secretly returned to South Africa, saying a photograph circulating online is old and has been falsely portrayed as a recent sighting.
The claims gained traction after an image was shared on social media alleging that the 28-year-old had been spotted shopping at Waterfall Corner in Midrand, Gauteng.
His attorney, Sinenhlanhla Mnguni, said the reports were untrue and urged the public not to be misled by recycled content.
“Our attention has been drawn to a social media post falsely suggesting that Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe was recently spotted shopping in Midrand, South Africa. The post is false and misleading. It relies on an old photograph of Mr Mugabe which has been recirculated and falsely presented as if it were recently taken,” Mnguni said.
Mnguni stressed that his client is not in South Africa and has not returned since he was deported earlier this year.
“Mr Mugabe is not presently in the Republic of South Africa, and any suggestion that the photograph depicts a recent sighting is entirely incorrect,” he said.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Mnguni said he had clear instructions from his client confirming that he is outside South Africa, although he declined to reveal his current location.
“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,” Mnguni said.
He also rejected speculation that Mugabe had re-entered the country illegally, saying his client had not been back since late April and would not risk breaching the five-year ban imposed after he was declared an undesirable person.
“My client has been banned from entering the Republic of South Africa for a period of five years. He certainly wouldn’t want to flout the laws or a court order,” Mnguni said.
Mugabe was deported to Zimbabwe after concluding a plea agreement in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court in April. He pleaded guilty to contravening South Africa’s immigration laws and to pointing what was presented as a firearm in a separate incident. Prosecutors withdrew an attempted murder charge linked to a February shooting at a Hyde Park residence, where an employee was wounded. Mugabe was fined R600,000 before being deported.
His legal team has urged both the public and media organisations to verify information before sharing it online, warning that the viral photograph has created a false impression that Mugabe has returned to South Africa.
