How immunity for Grace Mugabe has opened a can of worms
A parliamentary inquiry is likely, after International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane gave Mugabe immunity in the wake of an alleged assault
International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane quietly granted Grace Mugabe diplomatic immunity on Saturday, potentially opening up the second legal can of worms for the country in as many years. A parliamentary inquiry into the circumstances in which it happened is likely. SA is engaged in the delicate legal process of extricating itself from the International Criminal Court following the country’s failure to detain Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in June 2015. That landed the government in several courts in SA, with one after the other ruling against it and condemning its failure to honour its obligations as a signatory to the Rome Statute, domesticated as an act of Parliament. The International Criminal Court ruled in July that SA had erred in failing to arrest al-Bashir, but did not refer SA to the Assembly of States Parties or the UN Security Council. Nkoana-Mashabane signed a proclamation recognising the immunities and privileges of Mugabe in terms ...
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