JOHANNESBURG: Zimbabwe’s first lady Grace Mugabe handed herself over to South African police and was due in court Tuesday, officials said, after allegedly assaulting a model who was at a Johannesburg hotel with her two sons.
During the incident, which occurred on Sunday, Mugabe, 52, allegedly attacked Gabriella Engels, 20, with an extension cord, leaving her with wounds on her forehead and the back of her head.
“She’s not under arrest because she cooperated and handed herself over to the police,” South African Police Minister Fikile Mbalula told reporters.
“In terms of foreign citizens, they must understand they have responsibilities — especially those who hold diplomatic passports.
“I cannot just go to Zimbabwe and beat up people there and then the matter will disappear.
“From the police side, we have had to act in the interests of the victim, we have opened a case.”
Pictures on social media appeared to show Engels with a bleeding head injury after the alleged incident in Capital 20 West Hotel in the upmarket Johannesburg district of Sandton.
Mugabe allegedly arrived with bodyguards and accused Engels of partying with her sons Robert and Chatunga, both in their 20s, who are based in the South African city.
“We were chilling in a hotel room, and (the sons) were in the room next door. She came in and started hitting us,” Engels was quoted as saying by the TimesLIVE website on Monday.
“The front of my forehead is busted open. I’m a model and I make my money based on my looks.”
Mugabe, who is 41 years younger than her husband Robert, has two sons and one daughter with the Zimbabwean president.
“There was a criminal case opened in Sandton at Morningside (station) yesterday, but I can not release any name. Right now we have not arrested anybody,” national police spokesman Vish Naidoo told AFP.
Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane, a provincial minister in Gauteng province, told Jacaranda FM that the case should be pursued through the courts.
“We hope that it will send a strong message to all leaders who abuse their power and assault innocent people in our country,” she said.
Grace Mugabe regularly speaks at rallies in Zimbabwe and is seen as one potential successor to take over from her increasingly frail husband.
Last month she urged her 93-year-old husband to name his chosen successor, fueling renewed speculation about the race to take over from the world’s oldest national leader.
The Zimbabwe government made no immediate comment.
Grace Mugabe turns self in to S. Africa police over alleged assault
Grace Mugabe turns self in to S. Africa police over alleged assault
Israel hands Trump another international award, after Nobel snub
- The only other non-Israeli to have received this version of the honor is Indian conductor Zubin Mehta, in 1991
- Trump has long insisted that the Nobel Peace Prize stakes do not faze him — he dusted down the nonchalant refrain when he missed out again in 2025 — while also voicing frustration at being overlooked
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will receive Israel’s highest civilian honor in 2026, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday that his country will break with decades of tradition to recognize a non-citizen.
Speaking after a cordial Florida meet-up with Trump, Netanyahu said the move reflected “overwhelming sentiment” in Israel in appreciation of the US president’s support for the country.
“President Trump has broken so many conventions to the surprise of people, and then they figure out, ‘oh, well — maybe, you know, he was right after all,’” Netanyahu said to reporters.
“So we decided to break a convention too or create a new one, and that is to award the Israel Prize.”
Netanyahu hailed Trump as Israel’s “greatest friend ever” in October — praise that followed militant group Hamas freeing the last 20 surviving hostages taken in the October 7 2023 attacks, under a Gaza peace deal brokered by Trump and his team.
“I have to say that this reflects the overwhelming sentiment of Israelis across the spectrum,” the Israeli leader said of Trump’s award.
“They appreciate what you’ve done to help Israel and to help our common battle against the terrorists and those who would destroy our civilization. So again, that’s an expression of thanks and appreciation.”
Normally, the Israel Prize is reserved for Israeli citizens or residents, with the lone loophole being a category for “special contribution to the Jewish people.”
The only other non-Israeli to have received this version of the honor is Indian conductor Zubin Mehta, in 1991.
Trump, clearly tickled, said the award was “really surprising and very much appreciated,” hinting that he might jet to Israel for the ceremony, traditionally held on the eve of the Middle Eastern country’s Independence Day.
For Trump, the accolade is another jewel in his self-styled crown as a global peacemaker.
In speeches and interviews, he regularly claims — falsely — that he has “stopped eight wars,” portraying himself as uniquely capable of imposing order on global conflicts through his force of personality and deal-making.
Trump has long insisted that the Nobel Peace Prize stakes do not faze him — he dusted down the nonchalant refrain when he missed out again in 2025 — while also voicing frustration at being overlooked.
This latest award follows Trump recently being granted the FIFA Peace Prize, another nod to his diplomatic ambitions via symbolic validation that still falls short of the Nobel honor he openly covets.
