Robert Mugabe Jr, son of Zimbabwe’s late former president, appeared in a Harare magistrates court on Thursday facing drug possession charges, in a case that has sparked fresh scrutiny of the former first family.
The 33-year-old was arrested early Wednesday after allegedly driving the wrong way down a one-way street. Police say a search uncovered two sachets of cannabis in his sling bag. His lawyer, however, disputes the claims, insisting the drugs were found in a vehicle carrying three other passengers and weighing just 0.02g, far less than the 2g listed on the police charge sheet.
Following Mugabe Jr’s arrest, authorities said they detained five others in connection with a suspected drug syndicate allegedly linked to him. Police reported seizing 25 sachets of marijuana and six ecstasy pills. The alleged associates named in the case include Mitchel Jackson, Simbarashe Kaseke, Wellington Ncube, Phillip Munetsi Chiyangwa and Tanaka Kashamba.
Mugabe Jr was released on bail of $300 (£220) on Friday. Wearing joggers and a red cap, he was seen on his phone as he entered court, surrounded by supporters but not handcuffed.
This is not his first brush with the law. In 2023, he was arrested on accusations of vandalising property and spitting on a police officer at a Harare party, though the matter was later settled out of court.
The case comes against the backdrop of the Mugabe family’s uneasy legacy. Robert Mugabe Sr, who died in 2019 aged 95, ruled Zimbabwe for 37 years before being ousted by his former ally, now-President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Relations between the two families were tense after the fall of the longtime leader, but Mugabe Jr has since appeared to reconcile with Mnangagwa, even attending a Zanu-PF rally in 2022 where he was publicly welcomed back.
Police say investigations into the alleged drug network remain ongoing.
