Grace Mugabe, widow of former Zimbabwean president Robert Mugabe, may encounter legal obstacles when she attempts to attend her son Bellarmine Chatunga Mugabe’s upcoming court appearance in Johannesburg. Chatunga was arrested earlier this week on charges of shooting a security guard at his Sandton residence, and his case is set to be heard in the Johannesburg Magistrate’s Court on Thursday.
The potential complication stems from a 2017 incident in which Grace Mugabe was accused of assaulting model Gabriella Engels with an electrical cord at a luxury Johannesburg hotel, an event that allegedly occurred in front of her sons. At the time, she was Zimbabwe’s first lady and was initially ordered to appear before a South African court. The then‑Minister of International Relations and Cooperation later granted her diplomatic immunity, a decision that shielded her from prosecution.
However, that immunity has been under sustained legal challenge. AfriForum, a South African civil‑rights group, has filed applications arguing that the immunity was unconstitutional and that Grace Mugabe should be subject to the full force of South African law. In 2018, the South Gauteng High Court ruled that the minister’s recognition of her immunity was “inconsistent with the Constitution” and therefore invalid, stating that no customary international law automatically extends personal immunity to a head of state’s spouse. The court’s judgment has opened the door for prosecutors to pursue charges against her, should she return to South Africa.
Legal analysts say that, because Grace Mugabe no longer holds any official state position and her former status as first lady does not automatically confer immunity, she could be required to appear in court on the 2017 assault case if she travels to Johannesburg for her son’s hearing. “If she steps foot in South Africa, the immunity argument will be tested again, and the court could order her to answer the assault charges,” noted one Pretoria‑based attorney familiar with the case.
The situation places Grace Mugabe in a precarious position: she may need to choose between supporting her son in court and risking arrest on the pending assault charge. As of now, no formal summons has been issued for her appearance, but authorities have indicated that any attempt to enter South Africa could trigger a renewed legal process.
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