Grace Mugabe: South Africa grants immunity despite assault claim
South Africa has granted diplomatic
immunity to Zimbabwean First Lady Grace Mugabe, allowing her to leave
the country without answering questions about an assault allegation.
President Robert Mugabe and his wife arrived back in Harare early on Sunday.
Mrs Mugabe, 52, is accused of assaulting model Gabriella Engels a week ago at a Johannesburg hotel where her sons were staying.
She has not commented publicly on the case.
A lawyer for Ms Engels told the BBC that they were planning to challenge the immunity decision in court.
Willie
Spies said he would argue that the first lady should not have been
given special treatment as she had been in South Africa on private
business.
The South African government's decision came in a notice
from International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, published
in the Government Gazette on Sunday.
"I hereby recognise the immunities and privileges of the First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr Grace Mugabe," she said.
On
Saturday, Mrs Mugabe had been due to take part in the first ladies'
programme at the Southern African Development Community heads of state
summit in Pretoria, which Mr Mugabe, 93, was attending.
However, she failed to show up.
South
African police had said they wanted to interview Mrs Mugabe and had set
up a "red alert" at the borders to try to ensure she did not leave the
country.
But Zimbabwe's ZBC state broadcaster reported that
President Mugabe and his wife "arrived on board an Air Zimbabwe flight
early on Sunday morning".
It showed pictures of her greeting officials at Harare airport.
Ms Engels' lawyers have said their client was offered money to drop the case but she refused.
She
appeared at a press conference on Thursday with a large plaster on her
forehead. She has alleged that Mrs Mugabe beat her with an extension
cable at the hotel where the model was staying with Mrs Mugabe's two
sons.
She told the BBC: "She hit me with the plug and the
extension cord. And I just remember being curled down on the floor with
blood rushing down my face and down my neck."
The South African
Broadcasting Corporation said the Mugabes were scheduled to attend a
funeral for a state minister at Harare's Heroes Acre on Sunday.
BBC
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