Mbalula knows more about Twitter than police matters, says DA

The Democratic Alliance has lambasted Police Minister Fikile Mbalula and his department for failing to arrest Zimbabwean First Lady Grace Mugabe, who allegedly assaulted a young woman in Sandton over the weekend.

Earlier on Tuesday, the police minister said Mugabe would hand herself over to the police and appear in court, but it turned out she chose to take a flight home instead.

She faces charges of assault after allegedly beating up 20-year-old Gabriella Engels with an extension cord at a Sandton hotel.

In a statement released on Tuesday, DA shadow minister of police Zakhele Mbhele said the party would call for an inquiry into how Mugabe was able to leave the country when she was an identified suspect in a criminal charge.

“We especially need clarity on whether she had VIP protection assigned to her and, if so, whether the SAPS therefore took her to her plane. Whether or not she committed to handing herself over, the SAPS should have done their job and arrested her, as they would any other ordinary person accused of the same crime.

“This only leaves us with the startling possibility that Minister Mbalula may have aided and abetted Ms Mugabe’s escape back to her mansion in Zimbabwe – a tactic to which the ANC government is no stranger as they have pulled this stunt before by letting ICC-indicted Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir escape our country.”

Mbhele said it was irresponsible for the SAPS not to arrest the Zimbabwean first lady, who posed a flight risk.

“The SAPS are clearly in a shoddy and sorry state, made worse by their having to follow the lead of Mbalula, a police minister who knows more about making himself trend on Twitter rather than improving police operations and investigations in order to reverse the rising and ongoing trends of serious, organised and violent crimes.”

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