Mugabe's son fined US$300 over 2 g of dagga in Harare; jail term suspended
Robert Mugabe Jnr, 33, son of Zimbabwe's late president, was fined US$300 by a Harare magistrate after pleading guilty to possessing two grams of dagga found in his bag during a traffic stop. He was also given a three-month prison term, wholly suspended for five years.
Robert Mugabe Jnr, 33, pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of drugs at the
Harare Magistrates’ Court.[1]Magistrate Lisa Mutendereki fined him US$300,
ordering him to pay or serve four months in prison if he defaulted.[2]The
court also gave him three months’ imprisonment, wholly suspended on condition
that he commits no similar offence within five years.[1]He was convicted on
Thursday 13 November after asking the court for leniency, saying he was a single
father of two.[2]
Court papers said police stopped him in a silver Honda Fit travelling the wrong
way along Second Street Extension in Harare and found two sachets of dagga, a
pack of Rizla papers and a white dagga crusher in his sling bag.[2][3]Dagga is
the southern African name for cannabis.[1]
Mugabe was arrested in October and later released on $300bail, and a warrant
issued after he missed a routine remand date was cancelled before the trial.[4]He had first appeared in court on 2 October and was remanded in custody
pending a bail ruling.[5][3][6][7]He was released on Friday after paying bail of $300.[8]At that first appearance police said five people in a “syndicate linked to
him” had also been arrested and that they found 25 sachets of marijuana and six
ecstasy pills.[8][3]
Police charged Mugabe over 2 g of cannabis with a street value of $30.[8]His
lawyer, Ashiel Mugiya, denied the charge and said the drugs came from a car
carrying three other people, with only 0.02 g of cannabis found.[8][3]The 13
November ruling followed a warrant and missed hearing in a case that had drawn
attention because Mugabe is the son of Zimbabwe’s late president Robert Mugabe.[8]
Robert Mugabe Junior, 33, was arrested on Wednesday, 1 October 2025, after he was stopped and searched by officers who spotted him driving into oncoming traffic.[9][7]
One of former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s sons has been detained on drug possession charges, with the police saying he is part of a syndicate of illegal substance peddlers.[6]
Police stopped Mugabe, 33, on Tuesday night as he drove a silver Honda Fit the wrong way along 2nd Street Extension in central Harare.[10]Officers reportedly found two small sachets of dagga, papers and a dagga crusher in a sling bag he was carrying.[10]Mugabe was remanded in custody at Harare Central Prison after the Harare Magistrate’s Court postponed his bail hearing to Friday, and by then had spent two nights in custody.[10]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Arise Newsarise.tvRobert Mugabe Jr. Arrested In Harare For Drug Possession
BBC Newsbbc.comRobert Mugabe's son appears in court on drug charge
News24news24.comRobert Mugabe Junior granted bail after being found with dagga in car
IOLiol.co.zaRobert Mugabe Junior drove against oncoming traffic, behind bars for drug possession
Open questions the AI reported
Accounts differ on the weight of cannabis: the police charge sheet cited 2 g and the lawyer said 0.02 g; the figures use the police weight of 2 g.
The Club of Mozambique and BBC accounts give no separate date for the October arrest beyond 'Wednesday'; it is given as 1 October 2025 in the text only as the Wednesday before the 2 October appearance.
No outcome is reported for the five alleged syndicate members arrested with Mugabe, or for the ecstasy pills found with them.
News24's article body could not be read past its subscriber prompt; only its opening paragraph and summary text were usable, so the bail conditions it mentions are not recorded.
The EastAfrican gives no weight for the drugs found and no details of the charges, and says only that the arrest came the day before the Thursday appearance.
The IOL report does not say when the bail hearing took place or whether bail was granted; it was published on 3 October with Mugabe still in custody.
IOL places the stop on a "Tuesday night", while other accounts say he was arrested on Wednesday morning, 1 October 2025; the dates differ by a day.
IOL describes a silver Honda Fit, while the BBC's account of the court documents describes the car only as black in relation to the sling bag.
Zimbabwe police named seven people sentenced for unlawful possession of dagga as part of 25 convictions announced in a nationwide crackdown. The dagga sentences ranged from six months to 36 months, while other cases involved dangerous drugs, unregistered medicines and an immigration offence.
Police in Chipinge arrested Maria Mawacha, Gremma Mutema and Simon Sithole after 357 dagga plants were found in maize fields and gardens. Mawacha pleaded guilty and received 36 months with suspensions and 580 hours community service, while charges against Mutema were withdrawn and Sithole awaits sentence.
The Chinhoyi Magistrates' Court sentenced Aristotle Keith Mabvira to an effective 30 months in prison for possessing 1.055 kg of dagga recovered from his room. Six months of the 36-month term were suspended for five years on condition of good behaviour.
Arrested 1Cannabis 1.055 kgPrison 30 months (six months suspended for five years)
Zimbabwe's information minister said 2,889 people accused of drug offences had been brought before the courts and 381 convictions secured under the government's drug abuse crackdown, and that 31 drug bases in Manicaland and Mashonaland West provinces were dismantled. He gave the value of all drugs confiscated, dagga among them, as about ZiG79.9 million.