DA calls on ANC government to act on delinquent Nkoana-Mashabane following damning Grace Mugabe judgement

31 July 2018

The DA calls on President Cyril Ramaphosa to take action against former Department of International Relations and Co-operation (DIRCO) Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane following the damning judgement by the Johannesburg High Court on Monday finding her decision to grant Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity unlawful and unconstitutional.

Ms Nkoana-Mashabane seems to have been acting on questionable legal advice in opposing the DA’s application, and clearly put expedience ahead of constitutionalism and international law.

The DA has always contended that Mugabe was granted immunity by the ANC-led government in order to shield her from being tried in a South African court of law for her alleged assault of Ms Gabriella Engels. Importantly, the Johannesburg High Court found that “Mugabe is not immune from the jurisdiction of our courts and the Minister’s decision to ‘recognise’ or ‘confer’ immunity upon her was unconstitutional and unlawful”.

The DA will now be writing to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to request that a warrant of arrest for Grace Mugabe be reissued and that the NPA proceed with charges against Zimbabwe’s former First Lady.

Grace Mugabe deserves her day in Court and it is essential that the ANC-led government engages with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that she returns to face the full extent of the law.

We cannot have a government which abuses and bends the law at the expense of justice for its own citizens.

Issued by James Selfe, DA Federal Council Chairperson, 31 July 2018