Grace an obstacle to Mugabe getting SA exile

AS PRESSURE mounts for Robert Mugabe to relinquish power, South Africa is ready to give the 93-year-old possible exile in the country, but Pretoria has to deal with the diplomatic quandary around his wife Grace’s pending criminal case.

Sources in South Africa’s security cluster privy to the developments said the situation was fluid but that South Africa had opened its doors. “But there’s a complication with Grace, as you know,” said the source.

This complication is an assault charge relating to when she allegedly attacked 20-year-old model Gabriella Engels with an extension cord at a Sandton hotel in September.

The source said should Mugabe and his family be granted political exile, they would be given a residence by the government for security reasons.

This would mean they would not be allowed to stay in any of the mansions the family own in Gauteng.

“We normally recommend Pretoria due to the established diplomatic security environment there,” the source said.

But civil rights organisation AfriForum, acting on behalf of Engels, has vowed to prosecute the Zimbabwean first lady if she enters South Africa.

Kallie Kriel, the organisation’s CEO, said it was in the process of getting Grace’s diplomatic immunity revoked through the courts.

“Once that has been set aside we will approach the National Prosecuting Authority; if that doesn’t work we will prosecute her privately,” Kriel said.

The DA and Cope were also opposed yesterday to South Africa possibly giving Mugabe exile.

But beside the problem of dealing with the first lady, the source stressed that the situation was delicate because Zimbabwe could face possible AU sanctions if Mugabe was seen to have been ousted by a military coup.

The source said a possible refugee crisis sparked by instability that could arise from a violent takeover in the neighbouring country must be avoided.

“We recognise the Zimbabwe government; we can’t now change, plus there is an international law at play, including AU protocol against coups.”

“Mugabe is resisting a coup. If the army unseats an elected head of state, we will have issues.

“(President Jacob) Zuma is being tested: Will he act like (Thabo) Mbeki, or will he seize the opportunity to restore stability?” Former president Mbeki during his tenure became infamous for his silent diplomacy on Zimbabwe.

As Zimbabwe remained on the edge yesterday, Zuma met his Botswana counterpart Ian Khama to discuss the crisis.

But brokering a truce might prove difficult due to the complexity of Zimbabwe’s factional political situation around the governing party Zanu-PF.

“The issue is that party is divided into three factions.”

An increasingly desperate military was yesterday forced to launch a multipronged approach to force Mugabe to step down after he shot down Thursday’s proposed exit deal.

With Army Commander Constantino Chiwenga losing the bruising negotiations to Mugabe, his disappointed backers jumped to Plan B. The aggressive plan involves the Zanu-PF provinces dumping the party leader and nationwide mass #MugabeMustGo march to State House.

By 6pm yesterday, all 10 Zanu-PF provinces had passed a vote of no confidence in Mugabe and declared him “too old and incapacitated to lead both Zanu-PF and government”.

The general feeling is that the talks have dragged on for too long and there are rising fears that international pressure may return Mugabe to power, a prospect the coup plotters do not want to face.

“The army are fast running out of patience… they cannot remove the old man (Mugabe) without turning the country into a pariah state,” said a senior civil servant, who refused to be named.

Once officially fired as Zanu-PF leader, sources behind this approach said they would then push for him to be impeached early next week.

An even more radical approach is the mass march the war veterans organised for this morning (10am), ending at the State House. It is unprecedented in Zimbabwean history to take the fight to once-feared Mugabe’s doorstep.