Robert Mugabe Junior secured $300 bail from Harare magistrate Lisa Mutendereki on Friday after spending two nights in custody on drug possession charges.
The 33-year-old son of Zimbabwe's late former president must report to CID headquarters every Friday and remain at his registered address until his case concludes on October 22.
Police confirmed his arrest forms part of a wider investigation into a drug syndicate that includes Phillip Munetsi Chiyangwa, 26, the son of businessman Phillip Chiyangwa. Other alleged syndicate members are Mitchel Jackson, 28, Simbarashe Kaseke, 37, Wellington Ncube, 19, and Tanaka Kashamba, 25.
Officers from ZRP Avondale arrested Mugabe on October 1 at approximately 8:30 a.m. after stopping his silver Honda Fit driving against oncoming traffic on 2nd Street Extension in Harare. A search of his black sling bag revealed two sachets of cannabis weighing two grams, rolling papers and a grinder.
Prosecutor Mandirasa Chigumira told the court the seized cannabis had a street value of $30. The court heard Mugabe refused to sign the seizure receipt.
Phillip Munetsi Chiyangwa appeared separately in court after his Wednesday arrest in Highlands suburb where police allegedly found one gram of cannabis in his Toyota Hilux. Chiyangwa claimed detectives planted the drugs in his vehicle between the driver's seat and handbrake.
"The drugs were not mine. The police planted them in my car," Chiyangwa told the court through his lawyer.
Zimbabwe Republic Police spokesperson Commissioner Paul Nyathi said officers recovered 25 sachets of Indo hybrid dagga and six ecstasy pills from the syndicate. "More details will be availed as investigations widen," Nyathi said in a statement.
Both Chiyangwa and co-accused Tanaka Phil Kashambe, 25, were remanded in custody pending their bail ruling. Defense lawyer Shepherd Kudzanayi Makonde argued the accused were business persons with interests in Zimbabwe who could not afford to skip justice over cannabis worth $10.
Mugabe, who lists his address as 25 Budleigh Close, Helensview, Borrowdale, is currently unemployed according to court documents. His lawyer Ashiel Mugiya successfully argued for bail despite state opposition.
This marks Mugabe's second arrest since 2023 when he faced charges for damaging property during a drunken rampage at a house party. That case was withdrawn after he paid compensation to victims.
His younger brother, Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe, was granted bail in July after being arrested on assault charges at a mining site in Mazowe.
The late president Robert Mugabe died in September 2019 after ruling Zimbabwe from 1980 to 2017.
