South African Govt Will Not Appeal Grace Mugabe Diplomatic Immunity Judgement

South African Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu said they will not appeal a South Gauteng High Court judgment that ruled the decision to grant former Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity was “an error of law”.

Sisulu said they have studied the judgment and came to the conclusion that they will not appeal. On July 30, Acting Judge Bashier Vally ruled that the decision by South Africa’s former minister of international relations and cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to grant Mugabe diplomatic immunity must be reviewed and set aside.

Mugabe was accused of using an electrical extension cord to assault Gabriella Engels, a Johannesburg-based model, in August last year. The former first lady secretly fled the country and Nkoana-Mashabane later granted her immunity. If she visits South Africa, Mugabe could face police questioning. Meanwhile, AfriForum and the Democratic Alliance (DA) have urged the authorities to reissue the arrest warrant against Mugabe and ensure she is prosecuted on a charge of assault.