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.
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.
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