Assault saga pained ‘mother’ Grace Mugabe
THE Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Maite-Nkoana Mashabane has written to Parliament over the diplomatic immunity granted to Zimbabwe First Lady Grace Mugabe.
Mashabane’s remarks come days after her ministry allowed Mugabe to return to Zimbabwe after she assaulted 20-year-old model Gabriella Engels with an extension cord on the forehead at a hotel, after she found Engels in the company of her sons.
“We are following the law. We have written to Parliament and we will follow up on this matter,” she said, adding that Speaker Baleka Mbete and chairperson of the portfolio committee on international relations and cooperation, Moses Masango had already been informed.
And while the public has criticised the government for the manner in which it handled the Mugabe assault saga, Mashabane pointed out that Mugabe was very supportive of her children and that the matter of the alleged assault had been painful for her as a mother.
Joined by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Des van Rooy- en, Mashabane was speaking at a briefing in Pretoria where she announced efforts by South Africa to assist the people of Sierra Leone after the deadly mudslides.
With the death toll at 500, hundreds more are missing. While the government would not be sending humanitarian workers due to the dangerous conditions, an amount of R8 million would be donated.