Shooting victim in Mugabe trial is compensated R250,000 The worker wounded during a shooting at the Mugabe family home in Johannesburg has received a compensation settlement, with a further payment still outstanding. This emerged on Friday during the appearance of Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe and his co-accused Tobias Matonhodze in the Alexandra magistrate’s court. Both men have been in custody since the February shooting. Testifying in court, investigating officer Col Raj Ramchunder said Sipho Mahlangu*, who was shot twice in the back at the Hyde Park residence, had been paid R250,000 and was expecting a further R150,000 in cash. The officer said he only established this during a consultation with Mahlangu a day before court, adding that he was not part of the initial compensation discussions. Despite this development, the weapon that was used in the shooting — believed to be a 9mm firearm — remains unaccounted for. He said the accused have not co-operated and have not disclosed any information that could assist in locating the firearm. He warned that a missing, functional firearm could pose a broader risk to society if it ends up being used in another crime. The court heard that police had conducted an extensive search at the crime scene, including the house, yard and swimming pool, where divers used magnets to scan the pool. “Nothing was found,” Ramchunder told the court, adding that police had also pursued leads through informants and questioned the accused about the weapon’s whereabouts. The matter returned to court on Friday after last week’s proceedings, where both accused submitted affidavits detailing their guilty pleas and personal circumstances. In his affidavit, Matonhodze admitted to attempted murder after shooting the victim, while also pleading guilty to defeating the ends of justice, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and contravening immigration laws by living in South Africa illegally until his arrest.
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