Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe is expected to face additional charges when he appears in the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court on Monday, as police continue their search for the firearm allegedly used in a shooting incident at a Hyde Park residence in Johannesburg.
According to sources familiar with the investigation, prosecutors are considering adding charges, including defeating the ends of justice and pointing a firearm, because the weapon involved in the attempted murder has not yet been recovered.
The potential defeating the ends of justice charge stems from the ongoing inability to locate the firearm believed to have been used in the incident.
Mugabe, 28, and a co-accused were arrested by the South African Police Service shortly after the shooting, which left a 23-year-old employee of the residence in critical condition. Both suspects were initially charged with attempted murder.
Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi, speaking to journalists, said the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain unclear and that police are conducting preliminary investigations at the scene.
She confirmed that specialized units, including the K9 unit, were deployed to search the property for the firearm, and that some cartridges recovered at the scene will be used in the ongoing investigation.
Police have not officially confirmed whether the additional charges will be formally filed when the case is next called in court. Further updates on the investigation and the formal charges are expected during the next court appearance.
