Grace to be Charged

By James Macharia

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African police were negotiating with Grace Mugabe's lawyers on Tuesday to get the wife of the Zimbabwean president to turn herself in to face charges of assaulting a model, a senior police source said.

South African police minister Fikile Mbalula had said earlier in the day the Zimbabwean first lady had already handed herself in to police and would appear in court shortly, but that later appeared to have been premature.

Twenty-year-old Gabriella Engels told South African media Grace had attacked her while the model was visiting the Mugabes' sons Robert and Chatunga at a hotel in Johannesburg's upmarket Sandton district on Sunday.

There was no immediate public comment on the case from Grace Mugabe or her aides.

Confusion arose on Tuesday afternoon when the magistrates' court where Grace had been expected to be formally charged closed for the day without her appearing.

"The negotiations for her to hand herself in are still going on. We are at a point where we cannot effect an arrest yet," the police source said. "We will cross that bridge when we get there."

The source said that 52-year-old Grace had earlier agreed to hand herself over at 10 a.m. local time but failed to do so.

Asked if Grace was now considered a fugitive, the source said that was not the case at this stage.

The source said police were investigating a charge of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm.

Another source in South Africa's prosecuting authority said Mugabe had breached an agreement to surrender herself ahead of an expected court hearing on Tuesday afternoon.

"They (the police) had an agreement that she hand herself over, but she never did," the source said.

South African media said Grace was in the country to have an injured foot examined. It was unclear whether she was traveling on a diplomatic passport.

"SHE WILL BE CHARGED"

On whether she could be arrested despite having diplomatic immunity, minister Mbalula said: "All those implications will be taken into consideration." He then added: "She will be charged."

bloody set up to try degrade Mugabe......

Zuma shud not hve let this crap get this far > > > >

nnnaaahhh....Mugabe was supposed to name her as Successor