Extraditing Grace Mugabe would be an ‘attack’ on our founding father, says Zimbabwe
The government says extradition of the former First Lady would amount to 'harassment' of the former president's family.
Zimbabwe’s former first lady Grace Mugabe. Picture: Trong Khiem Nguyen / Flickr
Zimbabwean Deputy Minister of Information Energy Mutodi has made it clear the country’s government has no intention of extraditing Grace Mugabe to South Africa.
Mutodi said there was “no need” to extradite the country’s former first lady, adding that Zimbabwe’s government objects to the issuing of a warrant for her arrest.
“We will not smile on any attempt to embarrass, ill-treat or diminish the image of former president Robert Mugabe or his immediate family members,” Mutodi said.
The country’s former president, Robert Mugabe, Mutodi added, was the country’s founding father, and “harassment of his immediate family members is not in the best interests of Zimbabwe”.
READ MORE: AfriForum says they have a warrant of arrest for Grace Mugabe
“An attack on Grace Mugabe is an attack on the former president,” he continued. Mutodi said the government felt Mugabe was a “liberation icon and his misery is undesirable to us”.
Lobby group AfriForum announced on Wednesday they had obtained an arrest warrant for the former first lady of Zimbabwe, Grace Mugabe.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) issued the warrant for her alleged assault of model Gabriella Engels with an extension chord in 2017.
While as members of Interpol, Zimbabwe is obliged to hand Mugabe over, Mutodi says the Zimbabwean government believed she was entitled to diplomatic immunity.
While she was initially granted immunity by the South African government, this was later overturned in court.
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