Zimbabwe’s first lady, Grace Mugabe, on Tuesday handed herself over to the police after being accused of assaulting a young woman at an upscale hotel in Johannesburg, AP reported. Gabriella Engels, a 20-year-old model, accused Mugabe of assaulting her on Sunday night when she was visiting Mugabe’s sons in a hotel room at an upscale hotel in Johannesburg.
“She is not under arrest because she cooperated and handed herself over to the police,” South Africa’s Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula told Reuters. “But a case has been opened.”
Asked if she could be arrested despite having diplomatic immunity, he said, “All those implications will be taken into consideration. She will be charged.”
Grace Mugabe is a possible successor to her husband President Robert Mugabe. She was in the country to have an injured foot examined, according to South African media.
The incident
Engels said Mugabe’s bodyguards did not intervene in the alleged attack and let the first lady beat her. She also posted several photos on social media showing a wound on her forehead, claiming she injured in the alleged attack.
“She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug. Over and over,” Engels told a local news channel. “I had no idea what was going on. I was surprised . I needed to crawl out of the room before I could run away.”
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