{"id":26998,"date":"2026-02-25T18:15:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:15:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jhb-webdevelopers-qa\/channelafrica\/news\/expert-dismisses-claims-mugabe-shooting-case-may-collapse-over-missing-firearm\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T16:34:57","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:34:57","slug":"expert-dismisses-claims-mugabe-shooting-case-may-collapse-over-missing-firearm","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/expert-dismisses-claims-mugabe-shooting-case-may-collapse-over-missing-firearm\/","title":{"rendered":"Expert dismisses claims Mugabe shooting case may collapse over missing firearm"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"x_elementToProof\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">The pair were arrested last week following the shooting of an employee at the Mugabe family\u2019s Hyde Park property in Johannesburg. Rumours have circulated online suggesting the case may collapse if the gun is not recovered.<\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\" data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">However, Bolhuis insists the absence of the weapon does not weaken the core evidence and that the matter will proceed through the courts.<\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">\u201cThere is physical evidence of the shot. There are witnesses. This is a gunshot wound, and the victim is critical in the hospital. These are all facts and information to be presented in court,\u201d Bolhuis said.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">He added that the injuries sustained by the victim alone indicate the use of a firearm. \u201cThere is no other way this person finds himself in this situation without being shot by a gun. The fact remains that those who do not come forward with the gun are in big trouble,\u201d he warned.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">Bolhuis emphasised that neither the victim nor any private individual can withdraw the case, as it is now in the hands of the State. \u201cIf the victim lies or does not cooperate, he is also in big trouble. This case cannot fall away. Nobody can withdraw this case, and it has to be prosecuted by the State,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">&#8211;SABC\/ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":13724,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"news-type":[26],"class_list":["post-26998","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"Specialist crime investigator Mike Bolhuis has rejected social media speculation that the attempted murder case against Bellarmine Mugabe, son of the late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, and co\u2011accused Tobias Matonhodze in South Africa, could be withdrawn due to a missing firearm allegedly used in the shooting.\u00a0","published_date":null,"news_description":"Specialist crime investigator Mike Bolhuis has rejected social media speculation that the attempted murder case against Bellarmine Mugabe, son of the late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, and co\u2011accused Tobias Matonhodze in South Africa, could be withdrawn due to a missing firearm allegedly used in the shooting.\u00a0","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/26998","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/26998\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27284,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/26998\/revisions\/27284"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26998"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=26998"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}