The National Prosecuting Authority took steps more than a
year ago to have former Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe extradited to SA for
the alleged August 2017 assault of model Gabriella Engels in a Sandton hotel,
AfriForum revealed on Thursday.
The delay, however, seems to lie with the department of
justice. The civil rights organisation, which is representing Engels, said it
learnt of this through a letter from the office of advocate Shamila Batohi.
"In this particular letter from the office of the
director of national prosecutions, dated the 2nd of June, [Batohi] indicated
that the NPA has already taken an independent decision to institute prosecution
in the matter and done what is necessary for the extradition of the
accused," said the head of AfriForum's private prosecutions unit, Gerrie
Nel.
Reading from the letter during a press conference held at
AfriForum's headquarters in Centurion, Nel read parts of Batohi's letter which
said: "Like the complainant, the NPA would like to have the matter
prosecuted as soon as possible."
Batohi moved to clarify that the extradition was an
executive prerogative and the request for the extradition was processed by the
NPA and submitted to the department of justice for authentication and the
Zimbabwean authorities back in July 2019.
Batohi advised AfriForum to ask the department of justice
about the status of the extradition application.
Nel said they had since followed her advice. The justice
department, he said, had not yet responded to a letter sent by the unit on July
10.
Mugabe allegedly assaulted Engels in her son's Sandton
hotel room on August 13 2017.
Detailing the attack, Engels alleged Mugabe had stormed
into the room at the Capital 20 West hotel armed with an electric cord. Flanked
by 10 bodyguards and hotel security, she was looking for her sons, Robert jnr
who was 25 and the then 21-year-old Chatunga Bellarmine. Engels alleged the men
had fled the room, leaving her and two friends at the mercy of a raging Mugabe.
Engels sustained deep cuts to her forehead and the back of
her head and registered a case with the police. Pictures of her battered face
went viral on social media.
She has maintained that she wants an apology from
Zimbabwe's former first lady.
AfriForum lambasted the justice department, saying it
seemed to be taking a "head in the sand approach" to this and other
high-profile matters because they are afraid of stepping on the toes of people
in power.
The department of justice has since replied to AfriForum's
allegations.
Spokesperson Chrispin Phiri said: "Extradition request
cases vary in their nature and some require various forms of diplomatic
engagements before being executed.
"Therefore one cannot simply lump cases together and
make claims about how these cases are being handled. Each case is unique and
has its own distinct facts which in turn dictate how the request is
facilitated," he added.
The department did not give clarity on when the matter
would progress. Times
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