South Africa’s Foreign Minister to be summoned upon decision of granting Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity

On Sunday in the morning hours, Grace Mugabe together with her husband Robert Mugabe flew out of South Africa after Grace Mugabe was granted diplomatic immunity despite assault charges by a South African 20 year old model.

It was reported on 13 August 2017 that Grace Mugabe attacked Gabriella Engels, a South African model and hit her with an extension cord to the extent of Gabriella having a big cut on her forehead and at the back of her head, as she states.

Gabriella filed an assault case against Zimbabwe’s First Lady. However, instead of being prosecuted, Grace was granted diplomatic immunity and left the country freely.

The South African government’s act annoyed most of the South Africans and commented that the government cares more about the foreigners’ well being than the citizens.

On Wednesday, South Africa’s main opposition party informed that the Foreign Minister is yet to be summoned by the South African Parliamentary Committee upon the decision he made of granting Mugabe diplomatic immunity.

The party also informed that the date for the Foreign Minister’s hearing is yet to be set as well.

The Parliament’s international relations panel will ask the minister, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, to explain and state why Grace Mugabe was allowed to return to Zimbabwe on Sunday despite calls for her prosecution – said the Democratic Alliance party (opposition party).

“South Africa cannot be treated as a play ground for international criminals,” the opposition party stated in a statement.

Gabriella Engels’s support team has also on Wednesday vowed that despite Grace escaping prosecution, they would make sure that they lay firm and legal ground work that will make it very difficult for Zimbabwe’s first lady to ever go back to South Africa.

According to the affidavit that Engels’s team submitted in the Pretoria High Court, it states that basing on South Africa’s law, the head of state is not granted immunity if found guilty of the death or injury of the people of South Africa, so why would his relatives.

“If heads of state are not granted immunity in such a scenario, so why would his spouse or children or relatives be granted one?” said Engels’s team.

When asked about her say regarding the happening, South Africa’s International Relations Minister, Nkowana Mashabane, stated that, ‘granting Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity was very painful.’

.

Correspondent: Shamilah Namuddu