Mugabe’s son escapes jail after $300 fine for cannabis possession

By Agencies

One of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s sons has avoided a prison sentence for drug possession. Instead, he was fined $300 by a Harare court after admitting to cannabis possession.

The 33-year-old Robert Mugabe Junior pleaded guilty to the charges on Thursday and asked for leniency, saying he was a single father caring for two young children.

The magistrate ordered him to pay the fine or serve four months in prison.

Last week, a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear for trial, but it was cancelled the following day when he presented himself, accompanied by his lawyer.

Mugabe Junior was arrested on October 1 in central Harare after police officers observed him driving on the wrong side of the road.

Prosecutors said that, when the officers stopped his silver Honda Fit and conducted a search, they discovered two sachets of cannabis weighing two grams.

The drugs, which had a street value of $30, were found inside a sling bag he was carrying. The officers also discovered a packet of Rizla papers and a small grinder.

Mugabe Junior was charged with possession of dangerous drugs. Police said they had arrested three more people allegedly linked to his drug syndicate.

The late president’s son, a lanky sportsman who once played for Zimbabwe’s senior basketball team, has had several run-ins with the law since his father’s death in 2019.

In February 2023, he was arrested for smashing vehicle windscreens and destroying household property while drunk at a house party. The case was dropped after he compensated the victims.

Mugabe, who ruled Zimbabwe with an iron fist between 1980 and 2017 before being toppled in a military coup, had three children with his second wife, Grace, whom he married in 1996.

His first wife, Sally, from Ghana, died in 1992. They had no surviving children.

In a rare interview in which he spoke openly about his children, Mugabe said he did not believe that Robert or Chatunga would take after him. At the time, his sons were causing him concern due to their underperformance at school and behaviour.

Mugabe was particularly critical of Robert, calling him an “undertaker” after he got the worst grades in his A-level exams.

Robert was also expelled from Kutama College, a prestigious school where his father was an alumnus who was held in high regard for his academic prowess.

Chatunga, 28, has also had several run-ins with the law. The most recent incident occurred in July this year, when he was arrested for orchestrating a violent attack on five security guards in a farming area north of Harare.

He accused the guards of harbouring artisanal miners who were trespassing on their neighbouring farm.

Last year, Chatunga was arrested for assaulting a police officer at a check point near Zimbabwe’s border with South Africa.