South Africa has granted Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity to allow her to return home and avoid prosecution for the alleged assault of a model, a security source has said. Police had put border posts on “red alert” in South Africa to prevent her from fleeing and said she would not benefit from special treatment in the case involving Gabriella Engels.
The 20-year-old model claims Mrs Mugabe whipped her with an electric extension cable as she waiting with two friends in a luxury Johannesburg hotel suite to meet one of Mr Mugabe’s sons.
A security source told Reuters news agency that Mrs Mugabe had failed to turn up to a Johannesburg court hearing on Tuesday over concerns she could be attacked.
South Africa is home to an estimated three million Zimbabwean exiles who regard President Mugabe as a dictator who has ruined one of Africa’s most promising democracies.