Zimbabwe's first lady surrenders to police in assault case

Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The wife of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe surrendered to South African police Tuesday after an alleged assault, the police minister said.

First lady Grace Mugabe was set to appear in court Tuesday after a 20-year-old woman accused her of assault.

The woman claims Mugabe beat her with an electrical cord -- leaving cuts and bruises on her face -- after finding her in a Johannesburg-area hotel room with Mugabe's two sons last weekend.

"She's not under arrest because she cooperated and handed herself over to the police," South African Police minister Fikile Mbalula said of Mugabe.

Charges were filed and Mugabe surrendered Tuesday at Johannesburg's Morningside police station, officials said.

Grace Mugabe is the president's second wife. They married in 1996 when he was 76 and she was 35. She has been nicknamed "Gucci Grace" for her lavish spending habits, the BBC reported.