Robert Mugabe’s Stepson Fined For Manslaughter In Zimbabwe

The eldest son of Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe has been convicted of manslaughter
and fined $800 (£520).
Russell Goreraza knocked down and
killed an unidentified man in his car in
the capital, Harare, in February.
“I regret and want to apologise for the
incident,” President Robert Mugabe’s 31-
year-old stepson told the court.
The magistrate said he had considered
cancelling the accused’s licence and
sending him to jail but opted for a fine
because of his remorse.
Douglas Chikwekwe said that the fact
that Goreraza was a first-time offender
had also affected his decision.
The BBC’s Brian Hungwe in the capital,
Harare, says many are shocked by the
fact that Goreraza did not get a jail term.
Sentencing for culpable homicide varies
depending on the magistrate and their
interpretation of the circumstances, but
two-year prison terms have been handed
down in similar cases.
Friends and relatives of Goreraza, who
did not have a lawyer to represent him,
attended the hearing, but not the first
lady, our reporter says.
The name of the person run over by
Goreraza was not revealed in court, he
says.
After the sentencing, intelligence officers
tried to prevent prison officers from
taking Goreraza away to the cells to pay
his fine.
Goreraza stayed inside the cells until the
media outside had left, so he could avoid
the cameras, our reporter says.
He is Mrs Mugabe’s first son from her
marriage to Stanley Goreraza, a
diplomatic military attache.
Unlike his mother, he has steered clear
of politics and has mining and farming
interests.
Mrs Mugabe began a relationship with
President Mugabe whilst working as a
typist in state house in the late 1980s.
They married in 1996 and have three
children.