PRETORIA – International Relations Minister Lindiwe Sisulu on Thursday said the South African government will not be appealing a high court ruling which overturned the decision to extend diplomatic immunity to Zimbabwe's former first lady Grace Mugabe.
“I should not conclude [the media engagement session held in Pretoria] without commenting on the recent judgment relating to the case against the former First Lady of the Republic of Zimbabwe. We have studied the judgment and came to the conclusion that we will not appeal,” Sisulu told journalists.
The Johannesburg High Court found the decision to give Mugabe immunity when she was accused of assaulting a young South African woman in 2017, unlawful and unconstitutional.
The official opposition Democratic Alliance has called on President Cyril Ramaphosa to sanction the then international relations and co-operation minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane for granting the diplomatic privilege to former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s wife.
The outspoken Mugabe was granted immunity in August last year after Gabriella Engels accused her of beating her with an electrical cord in a hotel room in Johannesburg.
*Receive IOL's top stories via Whatsapp by sending your name to 0745573535.