The Commission for Gender Equality says the move by SA to grant diplomatic immunity to Zimbabwe’s former first lady Grace Mugabe after her alleged assault on a young woman in Johannesburg in 2017 violated the country’s obligation to punish those convicted of violence against women. The commission was making submissions in the High Court in Pretoria on Thursday in an application brought by the DA and others to set aside the minister’s decision. The granting of diplomatic immunity to Mugabe meant that the National Prosecuting Authority could not attend to the case opened by Gabriella Engels‚ the woman allegedly assaulted by Mugabe at a hotel in Sandton in August 2017. AfriForum‚ which is also a party to the application‚ is assisting Engels in launching a private prosecution against Mugabe. Lerato Zikalala‚ for the commission‚ said the Constitution obliged the state to take reasonable steps to protect women. She said Engels‚ as a woman‚ formed part of a vulnerable group of society. Wom...
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