The bail application of Bellarmine Mugabe, the son of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, and his cousin Tobius Mathondzhe-Mugabe has once again been postponed at the Alexandra Magistrate’s Court due to a power outage at the facility.
The pair were arrested last month at their home in Hyde Park, north of Johannesburg, after allegedly shooting an employee.
This is the second postponement in the matter this week.
The case had already been postponed on Monday after the court heard that two additional charges had been added against the accused.
Prosecutor Lufuno Maphiri told the court proceedings could not continue without electricity.
“Unfortunately, due to the fact that we don’t have power, we won’t be able to proceed,” Maphiri said.
Defence lawyer Sinethemba Mnguni acknowledged that the delays were frustrating but said they were beyond the control of the legal teams.
“Of course, it’s out of our control, frustrating as it may be,” Mnguni said.
The matter has been postponed to 11 February.
Meanwhile, DA Federal Chairperson and Johannesburg mayoral candidate Helen Zille attended proceedings in what she described as an oversight visit.
Zille criticised the postponement, saying court cases should not be delayed because of a lack of electricity.
“A big problem with our justice system, apart from many other things, is that it is clogged up and cases get stuck. Justice delayed is justice denied,” she said.
Zille added that failing local governance contributes to repeated delays in the justice system.
“It has huge local implications for many people. That’s why cases get postponed over and over again,” she said.
