Zimbabwe’s first lady, Grace Mugabe, is to appear in court in South Africa on Tuesday after handing herself in to police over allegations that she assaulted a woman in a Johannesburg hotel. Mugabe, 52, allegedly attacked Gabriella Engels, 20, with an extension cord, wounding her forehead and the back of her head.

Mugabe went to a police station on Tuesday, Agence France-Presse reported. According to the local eNCA TV channel, she will appear in court later on Tuesday. The police minister Fikile Mbalula said Mugabe would appear at Wynberg magistrates court on Tuesday afternoon. “She’s not under arrest because she co-operated and handed herself over to the police,” he said. Earlier in the day, Mbalula told the local Eyewitness News agency: “If she came here with her diplomatic passport, she’ll have diplomatic immunity. This doesn’t mean she cannot be arrested.” A Zimbabwean intelligence source said Mugabe was travelling on a normal passport. “She was here on business,” the source told Reuters. Pictures on social media appear to show Engels bleeding in Capital 20 West hotel in the upmarket district of Sandton.(theguardian)…[+]