South African prosecutors have issued an arrest warrant for Zimbabwe’s ex-first lady, Grace Mugabe, for allegedly assaulting a model in 2017, police say.

What happened in Johannesburg?
The alleged assault took place in August 2017 after Mrs Mugabe found Ms Engels with her two sons, Robert and Chatunga, in a hotel room in Sandton, a wealthy suburb in the city’s north. The then first lady was in South Africa to be treated for an ankle injury, Zimbabwean media reported. Ms Engels released an image of a head injury online. “When Grace entered I had no idea who she was,” she told South African’s News24 at the time. “She walked in with an extension cord and just started beating me with it. She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug. Over and over. I had no idea what was going on. I needed to crawl out of the room before I could run away.” She added: “There was blood everywhere. Over my arms, in my hair, everywhere.” The South African Police Service (Saps) investigated the alleged assault but the foreign minister at the time, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, granted Mrs Mugabe diplomatic immunity, allowing her to leave the country without answering questions. That immunity was annulled in July.Who is Grace Mugabe?

- Began affair with Robert Mugabe, 41 years her senior, while working as a typist in state house
- Mr Mugabe was still married to his first wife, Sally, who was terminally ill at the time
- Married Mr Mugabe, her second husband, in 1996 in an extravagant ceremony
- They have three children – Bona, Robert and Chatunga
- Nicknamed “Gucci Grace” by her critics who accuse her of lavish spending
- Named head of Zanu-PF women’s league in 2014, had been tipped to be named vice-president in December
- Accused of assaulting a model in South Africa in 2017