HARARE – The High Court has dismissed an application by a man claiming to be the late former president Robert Mugabe’s secret son, ruling that he failed to provide conclusive proof of paternity.
Tonderayi Gabriel Mugabe, born Tonderayi Maeka in 1977 in Chimoio, Mozambique, approached the court seeking recognition as a beneficiary of Mugabe’s estate, which is currently being managed by his daughter Bona Mugabe.
High Court judge Justice Fatima Maxwell rejected the application, stating that the evidence presented was insufficient and speculative.
“None of the documents confirms who the father of the child is,” Justice Takuva ruled.
Tonderayi claimed that he was fathered by Robert Mugabe and born to a woman named Hilda Maeka. He told the court he had occasional contact with Mugabe during his lifetime, and that his identity was deliberately kept secret from the public and the president’s family.
After his mother’s death, he said, he sought to be recognised by the Mugabe family. He changed his name through a notarial deed and informed Bona Mugabe and her legal team of his claim after the estate had already been advertised.
According to court papers, Bona’s lawyers requested a DNA test, which he undertook. However, the court found the test inconclusive and problematic.
Justice Takuva noted that the DNA comparison was made with Lawrencia Mugabe, who is reportedly a child of Mugabe’s sister Bridget.
“The sibling tested with him is Lawrencia Mugabe, who stated she was born to ‘Tete Bridget’. Traditionally, ‘Tete Bridget’ would not be married into the Mugabe family as she is from that family,” the judge explained.
“It is therefore questionable if her children can assist in proving that one is a member of the Mugabe family.”
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Legal and Documentary Gaps
The court also observed that Tonderayi’s birth certificate, issued during Robert Mugabe’s lifetime, did not list the former president as his father.
“The exclusion of the father’s name at the time of registration is a clear indication that paternity was not acknowledged,” said Justice Takuva.
The judge ruled that under Zimbabwean law — particularly the Births and Deaths Registration Act — paternity must be formally acknowledged in such cases. Re-registration of a birth to include the father’s name is only allowed in limited circumstances, such as when parents later marry — which did not apply in this case.
“Applicant did not state that his mother ever married the late Robert Gabriel Mugabe. That may be the reason why, even though the Registration Office might have bowed to the pressure of the name, they did not go as far as to reflect the alleged father’s details on the birth certificate,” the court noted.
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Application Rejected
Tonderayi also sought condonation for the late filing of his claim in the Mugabe estate, but this too was dismissed. The court noted that the estate had already been finalised on 18 December 2020, yet he only formally approached the court in 2023.
In 2023, he attempted to reopen the estate under case number HCH 3729/23, but that application was also thrown out.
Justice Takuva said there was no justification for the delay and no compelling legal basis for reopening the estate.
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