By Rex Mphisa
Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe was on Monday taken to a wrong court prompting the magistrate to threaten removing his case from the role.
Chatunga was, after the mix-up finally brought before the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court where he and his bodyguard Tobias Tamirepi Mugabe Matonhodze were charged with attempted murder in connection with a shooting incident at a property in Hyde Park last week, in which a staff member was injured.
Media reports from South Aftica said proceedings got off to a delayed start after the accused were first taken to Randburg Magistrate’s Court in error.
This raised Magistrate Renier Boshoff’s ire and he reportedly threatened striking the matter from the roll at one point.
They pair was eventually brought to the correct court, though, and the matter was heard.
The case has been postponed for a formal bail application.
Chatunga, the late former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe’s attempted-murder-accused son will spend another week behind bars after his case was postponed on Monday for a bail application, the reports said.
“Twenty-nine-year-old Chatunga made his first appearance in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Monday morning alongside his bodyguard,” said the reports.
Both were arrested at a Hyde Park property last week, following a shooting incident during which a member of staff at the residence was injured.
The court heard investigations were “far from over”.
The pair’s court appearance was met by a throng of journalists, their cameras furiously clicking away.
Both face, addition to attempted murder, the two now also face charges of defeating the administration of justice as well contravening the Firearms Control Act.
The reports said Prosecutor Lufuno Maphiri said they were being charged under the doctrine of common purpose.
The Incident under spotlight occurred last Friday and has dominated headlines since, with the whereabouts of the firearm used a key question and the basis for the first of the two new charges.
Media reports said a fire engine and police divers were called in to drain and search the pool at the plush Hyde Park property, but that police suspected it may have been removed from the scene before they arrived.
By Monday, it was still missing.
“The firearm, to date, has not been recovered,” Maphiri told the court during proceedings adding that they suspected it had “been concealed”.
Media reports said Maphiri told the court the State “still needs to do profiling of both accused persons” as well as that they still had to check their immigration status.
Chatunga over the weekend suffered from a chronic condition and had twice collapsed in custody, with efforts to get him his medication proving a challenge.