By Lebone Rodah Mosima
Plea negotiations in the shooting case against Bellarmine Mugabe and his co-accused, Tobias Matonhodze, had failed to produce an agreement, the Alexandra magistrate’s court heard on Tuesday.
The State told the court that discussions with the defence had not been finalised and that further investigation was still needed before the matter could be resolved.
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Defence lawyer Sinenhlanhla Mnguni said the defence had engaged the process in good faith.
“We’ve always conducted ourselves and tried to finalise these negotiations in good faith with the state,” Mnguni said.
“I have no doubt whatsoever that we will ultimately find common ground here. This is a complex matter — high profile — you would appreciate that it’s not that easy to appease everyone in these kinds of negotiations,” he added.
The magistrate treated this as a final postponement for the parties to conclude negotiations and for the State to finalise its position.
Tuesday’s appearance came after the accused abandoned their bail bid earlier this month and shifted to plea discussions. At the time, the defence indicated that immigration-related complications counted against a bail application and raised the risk that the accused might not stand trial if released.
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A week earlier, the defence had indicated that negotiations were at an advanced stage.
Mugabe, the son of deceased former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, and Matonhodze are accused in connection with the February shooting of a 23-year-old employee at Mugabe’s Hyde Park home in Johannesburg.
They face charges including attempted murder, defeating the ends of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and contravening the Immigration Act.
Both men were remanded in custody and the matter postponed to 17 April.
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