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| Zimbabwe's Grace Mugabe due in South Africa court over assault | Zimbabwe's Grace Mugabe due in South Africa court over assault |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, is due in court in South Africa following allegations of an assault, South Africa's police minister says. | Zimbabwe's first lady, Grace Mugabe, is due in court in South Africa following allegations of an assault, South Africa's police minister says. |
| She has "handed herself over to the police" but is not under arrest, Fikile Mbalula said. | She has "handed herself over to the police" but is not under arrest, Fikile Mbalula said. |
| South African model Gabriella Engels, 20, has accused Mrs Mugabe of hitting her on the head with an extension cord during a confrontation at a hotel. | South African model Gabriella Engels, 20, has accused Mrs Mugabe of hitting her on the head with an extension cord during a confrontation at a hotel. |
| She released an image of a face injury online. Mrs Mugabe has not commented. | She released an image of a face injury online. Mrs Mugabe has not commented. |
| Ms Engels accused Mrs Mugabe, 52, of hitting her after finding her with her two sons in a hotel room in Sandton, a plush suburb north of Johannesburg, the BBC's Pumza Fihlani reports. | Ms Engels accused Mrs Mugabe, 52, of hitting her after finding her with her two sons in a hotel room in Sandton, a plush suburb north of Johannesburg, the BBC's Pumza Fihlani reports. |
| The attack is said to have happened on Sunday evening. | The attack is said to have happened on Sunday evening. |
| What does Engels say? | What does Engels say? |
| In a phone interview for South Africa's News24 news site, she said she and a friend had been visiting the sons, Robert and Chatunga, at the Capital 20 West Hotel. | |
| A bodyguard asked her and her friend to wait in a separate room, after which the assault occurred, she said. | |
| "When Grace entered I had no idea who she was," she told News24. | |
| "She walked in with an extension cord and just started beating me with it. She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug. Over and over. I had no idea what was going on. I was surprised… I needed to crawl out of the room before I could run away. | |
| "Her ten bodyguards just stood there watching, no-one did anything, no-one tried to help me." | "Her ten bodyguards just stood there watching, no-one did anything, no-one tried to help me." |
| "There was blood everywhere," she added. "Over my arms, in my hair, everywhere." | "There was blood everywhere," she added. "Over my arms, in my hair, everywhere." |
| What do the police say? | What do the police say? |
| In a statement, they confirmed that on Monday an unnamed 20-year-old South African woman had registered a "case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm". | In a statement, they confirmed that on Monday an unnamed 20-year-old South African woman had registered a "case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm". |
| She was "allegedly assaulted by a prominent woman at a hotel in Sandton," they said, without naming Mrs Mugabe. | She was "allegedly assaulted by a prominent woman at a hotel in Sandton," they said, without naming Mrs Mugabe. |
| Who is Grace Mugabe? | Who is Grace Mugabe? |
| Why was she in South Africa? | Why was she in South Africa? |
| She was due to be treated for an ankle injury, sustained during a road accident last month, according to Zimbabwean media. | She was due to be treated for an ankle injury, sustained during a road accident last month, according to Zimbabwean media. |
| It is not clear whether she was travelling on a diplomatic or a normal passport. | It is not clear whether she was travelling on a diplomatic or a normal passport. |
| Mrs Mugabe is seen as a staunch defender of her husband, 93, and is the leader of the powerful women's league of Zimbabwe's governing Zanu-PF party. | Mrs Mugabe is seen as a staunch defender of her husband, 93, and is the leader of the powerful women's league of Zimbabwe's governing Zanu-PF party. |
| Zimbabwean Information Minister Christopher Mushowe told the BBC he was unaware of the allegations against her. | Zimbabwean Information Minister Christopher Mushowe told the BBC he was unaware of the allegations against her. |