Grace Mugabe’s assault immunity challenged

Grace Mugabe’s assault immunity challenged

BBC Africa-Afrikaner lobby group Afriforum is heading to court to challenge a decision by the previous South African government to grant Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity.

Zimbabwe’s former first lady is accused of assaulting model Gabriella Engels with an electric cord at an upmarket Johannesburg hotel, where her two sons were staying, in August last year.

Mrs Mugabe was expected to appear in court over the incident, but, in a controversial turn of events, the South African government granted her diplomatic immunity which allowed her to leave the country in the middle of the night.

The lobby group AfriForum, which is representing Mrs Mugabe’s alleged assault victim, wants the high court to annul the diplomatic immunity from prosecution granted to the former Zimbabwean first lady.

Mrs Mugabe has denied attacking the model and said she was defending herself from a knife wielding and intoxicated young woman.

The application by AfriForum will be heard over two days and, if successful, it would pave the way for South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority to resume legal action against Mrs Mugabe.

Maravi Post Reporter

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