JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The wife of Zimbabwe's president handed herself over to police in South Africa on Tuesday after being accused of assaulting a young woman Sunday night at an upscale Johannesburg hotel, South Africa's police minister said. 
 
 Grace Mugabe was due to appear in court Tuesday afternoon, local news outlet eNCA reported. 
 
 Mugabe is "not under arrest because she cooperated and handed herself over," Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula said in a video posted on eNCA. 
 
 Twenty-year-old Gabriella Engels has accused Mugabe of assaulting her while she was visiting Mugabe's sons in a hotel room in an upscale Johannesburg suburb. She claims the first lady's bodyguards stood by and watched as Mugabe attacked her. 
 
 Engels posted several photos on social media showing a gash in her forehead, which she calls a result of the alleged encounter. 
 
 "I had no clue who this woman was when she started beating me," Engels told local radio station 702. 
 
 Police confirmed that a 20-year-old woman registered "a case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm" on Monday, but said the suspect could not be named as she had not yet appeared in court. 
 
 "The investigation into this case has already reached an advanced stage," a police statement on Tuesday said. ||||| Image copyright Gabriella Engels 
 
 Zimbabwean First Lady Grace Mugabe has so far failed to appear in a South African court over an assault case despite officials saying she would do. 
 
 South African police said in the late afternoon they did not know where Mrs Mugabe was. 
 
 A 20-year-old South African woman has accused Mrs Mugabe of hitting her on the head with an extension cord during a confrontation at a hotel. 
 
 She released an image of a face injury online. Mrs Mugabe has not commented. 
 
 Gabriella Engels accused Mrs Mugabe, 52, of hitting her after finding her with her two sons in a hotel room in Sandton, a plush suburb north of Johannesburg, the BBC's Pumza Fihlani reports. 
 
 The attack is said to have happened on Sunday evening. 
 
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 "The negotiations over the suspect handing herself over have not concluded and our investigations have not finalised," police spokesman Vishnu Naidoo told AFP news agency. 
 
 Police Minister Fikile Mbalula earlier said Mrs Mugabe had handed herself over to police but was not under arrest, and would appear in court early on Tuesday afternoon local time. 
 
 Hours later Mr Naidoo clarified: "The minister learned later that it just didn't materalise as it was supposed to." 
 
 Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Grace Mugabe may face assault charges 
 
 What does Engels say? 
 
 In a phone interview for South Africa's News24 news site, she said she and a friend had been visiting the sons, Robert and Chatunga, at the Capital 20 West Hotel. 
 
 A bodyguard asked her and her friend to wait in a separate room, after which the assault occurred, she said. 
 
 "When Grace entered I had no idea who she was," she told News24. 
 
 "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 was surprised… I needed to crawl out of the room before I could run away. 
 
 Image copyright Reuters Image caption Grace Mugabe, 52, is the Zimbabwean president's second wife 
 
 "Her ten bodyguards just stood there watching, no-one did anything, no-one tried to help me." 
 
 "There was blood everywhere," she added. "Over my arms, in my hair, everywhere." 
 
 What do the police say? 
 
 In a statement, they confirmed that on Monday an unnamed 20-year-old South African woman had registered a "case of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm". 
 
 She was "allegedly assaulted by a prominent woman at a hotel in Sandton," they said, without naming Mrs Mugabe. 
 
 Who is Grace Mugabe? 
 
 Image copyright AFP 
 
 Began affair with Robert Mugabe, 41 years her senior, while working as a typist in state house 
 
 Mr Mugabe later said his first wife Sally, who was terminally ill at the time, knew and approved of the relationship 
 
 Married Mr Mugabe, her second husband, in 1996 in an extravagant ceremony. They have three children 
 
 Nicknamed "Gucci Grace" by her critics who accuse her of lavish spending 
 
 Along with her husband, is subject to EU and US sanctions, including travel bans 
 
 Praised by supporters for her charitable work and founding of an orphanage 
 
 Received a PhD in September 2014, a month after being nominated to take over the leadership of the Zanu-PF women's league 
 
 Why was she in South Africa? 
 
 She was due to be treated for an ankle injury, sustained during a road accident last month, according to Zimbabwean media. 
 
 It is not clear whether she was travelling on a diplomatic or a normal passport. 
 
 Mrs Mugabe is seen as a staunch defender of her husband, 93, and is the leader of the powerful women's league of Zimbabwe's governing Zanu-PF party. 
 
 Zimbabwean Information Minister Christopher Mushowe told the BBC he was unaware of the allegations against her. ||||| Gabriella Engels following an alleged assault by Grace Mugabe on Sunday (Supplied) 
 
 Johannesburg – A twenty-year-old model claims Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe assaulted her with an extension cord in Sandton on Sunday evening. 
 
 Mugabe may face prosecution for the alleged assault in South Africa. Diplomatic immunity can only be granted if the first lady was in the country for official business, Department of International Relations spokesperson Clayson Monyela told IOL. 
 
 The Zimbabwean Mail reported that Mugabe was in the country to have her foot examined following an accident at the Harare international airport. 
 
 Gabriella Engels on Monday said she was visiting Mugabe’s two sons Robert and Chatunga at the Capital 20 West Hotel whom she met through a mutual friend on Saturday. 
 
 Engels said a bodyguard asked her and a friend to wait in a separate room before Mugabe allegedly started beating her. 
 
 "When Grace entered I had no idea who she was. She walked in with an extension cord and just started beating me with it," Engels told News24 over the phone. 
 
 Engels said Mugabe accused her of living with her sons. 
 
 "She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug. Over and over. I had no idea what was going on. I was surprised… I needed to crawl out of the room before I could run away. 
 
 "Her ten bodyguards just stood there watching, no one did anything, no one tried to help me." 
 
 Engels said hotel staff escorted her out of the hotel. She immediately tried to open a case of assault at the Sandton police station. 
 
 A police officer, however, advised her to seek medical attention first. 
 
 'Blood everywhere' 
 
 "There was blood everywhere. Over my arms, in my hair, everywhere." 
 
 She opened a case of assault against the 52-year-old Mugabe on Monday afternoon. Gauteng police were unable to verify whether a case of assault had been opened. 
 
 Both Robert and Chatunga have not responded to messages from News24 on Monday afternoon. 
 
 Calls to Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba went unanswered. 
 
 The Capital Hotel Group wished not to comment on the incident. 
 
 Engels said she had not been contacted by either Mugabe or her children following the incident. 
 
 She said she is unable to "deal" with the trauma she experienced. 
 
 "I am a model, with this scar over my face my whole career is ruined," an emotional Engels told News24. 
 
 "I don’t know how to deal with this, but I am trying hard. I am trying so hard to be strong." ||||| Image copyright Reuters Image caption Grace Mugabe developed the farm while her husband was president 
 
 Illegal workers have invaded the farm of former Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe to mine for gold. 
 
 Reporters from the Zimbabwean newspaper Newsday found them uprooting lemon trees, digging shafts and loading gold ore into lorries. 
 
 After unsuccessfully confronting them on Thursday, Mrs Mugabe reported the matter to the police. 
 
 The farm is in Mazowe, where she had forcefully evicted villagers in 2015 - while her husband was still in power. 
 
 Mrs Mugabe said in a statement to the police obtained by the New Zimbabwe website that she was touring the farm when she was "shocked to find approximately 400 men illegally panning for gold". 
 
 When she confronted them at the farm, some 40km (25 miles) north of Harare, she said they "started to shout obscenities at me and continued with their unlawful activities". 
 
 Newsday reports that one worker shouted at her: 
 
 "You no longer have any power to remove us. This is the new dispensation, we do what we want". 
 
 Last year Mrs Mugabe was widely reported to be preparing to replace her aging husband as president of Zimbabwe. 
 
 But the rumours were not welcomed by parts of the ruling party and he was ousted from office in November, to be replaced by his long-time ally Emmerson Mnangagwa. 
 
 The life of Grace Mugabe 
 
 Began affair with Zimbabwean President 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 
 
 Rumoured to be lining herself up to take over from her husband as president of Zimbabwe 
 
 Those rumours were followed by Mr Mugabe being ousted from power after 37 years 
 
 The polarising Grace Mugabe
– The wife of Zimbabwe's president handed herself over to police in South Africa on Tuesday after being accused of assaulting a young woman Sunday night at an upscale Johannesburg hotel, South Africa's police minister said. Grace Mugabe was due to appear in court Tuesday afternoon, local news outlet eNCA reported. The 52-year-old is "not under arrest because she cooperated and handed herself over," Minister of Police Fikile Mbalula said in a video posted on eNCA. Gabriella Engels, 20, has accused Mugabe of assaulting her while she was visiting Mugabe's sons in a hotel room. She claims the first lady's bodyguards stood by and watched as Mugabe attacked her. Engels posted several photos on social media showing a gash in her forehead, which she calls a result of the alleged encounter, reports the AP. Engels told News24 she had no idea who Mugabe was when she walked into the room "with an extension cord and just started beating me with it. ... She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug." Engels claims the first lady accused her of living with her sons. "The investigation into this case has already reached an advanced stage," a police statement on Tuesday said. The BBC reports Mugabe was in the country to receive treatment for an ankle injury; she reportedly injured it in July when the presidential limo began to drive away as she was climbing in.