Harare, Zimbabwe – A 47-year-old man has come forward claiming to be the secret son of the late former president Robert Mugabe. Tonderai Gabriel Mugabe, born in 1977 at the Chimoio base in Mozambique during the Second Chimurenga Liberation War, has approached the courts demanding a share of Mugabe’s estate.
Tonderai alleges that his mother, Hilda Maeka, known by her Chimurenga name Cde Paidamoyo, had a relationship with Robert Mugabe during the liberation struggle. According to Tonderai, his mother met Mugabe at Chimoio base shortly after Mugabe’s release from prison.
Tonderai has presented various documents to support his claim, including an affidavit signed by Lawrencia Mugabe, daughter of Mugabe’s sister Bridget. The affidavit confirms Tonderai’s birth at Chimoio base and his biological connection to the late president.
Tonderai has launched a legal challenge against Bona Mugabe, the executor of her father’s estate, along with the Registrar of Births and Deaths and the Master of the High Court.
Central to his claim is the assertion that he was born in Chimoio, Mozambique, on April 20, 1977, to Hilda Maeka, who was in a relationship with the then-President Mugabe.
Tonderai’s court application states that the relationship ended following the bombing of Chimoio, with Mugabe believing Maeka had perished. Despite this separation, Tonderai claims communication continued after Zimbabwe’s independence.
