Mugabe’s son gets bail for alleged cannabis possession

The son of former Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe has appeared in a Harare court charged with drug possession, reports BBC News. Robert Mugabe Jr (33) was arrested on Wednesday as he drove the wrong way down a one-way street, according to court documents. Police searched a black sling bag he was wearing at the time and allegedly found two small sachets of cannabis. Following the incident, police said in a statement that five people in a ‘syndicate linked to him’ were also arrested. Mugabe's lawyer, Ashiel Muguya, said they plan to deny the charges, and contested the factual claims made by the police. Mugiya said the drugs were recovered from a car that had three other occupants, and that police had found 0.02g of cannabis – while the police charge sheet says police recovered 2g, with a street value of $30. He was released on Friday, after paying bail of $300. On the alleged syndicate members they arrested, police said they found 25 sachets of marijuana and six ecstasy pills. This is not Mugabe's first brush with the law. In 2023, the second child of the former President and his widow Grace was arrested over allegations he damaged property and spat on a police officer at a party in Harare in 2023. He was freed after agreeing to an out-of-court settlement with the complainant, who was a friend of his. Former President Mugabe died in 2019 at the age of 95, two years after being forced to resign following 37 years in charge of the southern African nation.