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Wife of Zimbabwe President Mugabe Accused of Assault in South Africa

by VOA News

   Grace Mugabe, the first lady of Zimbabwe, will appear in a South
   African courtroom Tuesday to face charges of assaulting a young woman
   at a luxury Johannesburg hotel on Sunday.

   Fikile Mbalula, South Africa's minister of police, told reporters that
   Mugabe was not arrested "because she cooperated and handed herself
   over" to police earlier in the day.

   The 52-year-old wife of President Robert Mugabe is accused of beating
   20-year-old Gabriella Engels, who was visiting Mugabe's sons in the
   hotel. Photos posted on social media depict Engels, a professional
   model, with a bloody gash on her forehead.

   Grace Mugabe is considered a possible successor to her 93-year-old
   husband, who has ruled Zimbabwe since gaining independence from
   colonial British rule in 1980.