Grace Mugabe attacks photographer in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (Sapa-dpa) - The wife of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe was Sunday being investigated by Hong Kong police for an alleged assault on a photographer during a shopping trip to the city.

Grace Mugabe, 43, is accused of repeatedly punching Richard Jones - chief photographer of the Hong Kong photo agency Sinopix - after he took pictures of her shopping in Mody Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

Jones was on assignment for the Sunday Times in London which yesterday published a front page story about the incident along with pictures of Mugabe and her alleged victim showing his injuries.

The wife of the Zimbabwean leader was being tailed by Jones and a colleague as she left the five-star Shangri-la hotel she was staying in to go shopping with a bodyguard and a woman friend.

Jones told Deutsche Press-Agentur dpa the president's wife tried to wrestle his camera from him before hitting him repeatedly in the alleged attack last Thursday morning.

"They noticed me taking pictures when she was about 150 metres from her hotel and began shouting at me," said Jones, 43, who said he was tailing Mugabe as part of the newspaper's investigation into her shopping holiday.

"The bodyguard chased after me. I ran but I was carrying heavy camera gear and he caught up with me after 30 metres and tried to get my camera off me.

"Then I saw Grace Mugabe coming at me. She launched herself at me, tried to grab my camera and then directed punched at my face. She hit me at least 10 times in the face and head.

"I was shocked. She was behaving like a mad woman. I thought 'Here is the First Lady of an African nation punching me in the face in the middle of the street in Hong Kong'. I couldn't believe what was happening."

Jones reported the alleged assault to police in Tsim Sha Tsui two days later, by which time Mugabe and her entourage had checked out of the hotel and left Hong Kong.

Mugabe was in Hong Kong as part of an Asian holiday that began in early January in the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi and then continued to Singapore where she was joined by husband Robert, according to the Sunday Times.

The Zimbabwean first lady, whose country is heavily dependent on food aid, flew to Hong Kong without her husband on January 9 and stayed with her entourage in a suite at the Shangri-la, the newspaper said.

The Sunday Times claims Robert Mugabe withdrew 92,000 US dollars from the central bank in Harare at the beginning of January to fund his wife's Asian holiday.

Asked about the alleged assault by Grace Mugabe, a Hong Kong police spokeswoman said: "The police received a report from a 43- year-old man on January 17.

"He reported the case to Tsim Sha Tsui police station stating he was assaulted by a woman on January 15 in the Tsim Sha Tsui district.

"The case has been classified as assault occasioning actual bodily harm and the Tsim Sha Tsui CID team is investigating the case. There has been no arrest so far."

Grace Mugabe is understood to have returned to her native Zimbabwe after her stay in Hong Kong.

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Apparently infuriated by the presence of a British journalist and photographer, and flanked by a friend and a bodyguard, Mrs Mugabe allegedly ordered the guard to hold Jones while she unleashed a hail of punches at his face. The combination or her screaming rage and a substantial collection of diamond-encrusted rings on her fingers allegedly caused a series of painful lacerations to his face."

The Times (London), January 19 2009

 

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responses to this article

Powerful First 'Lady' Who do these Brits think they are, anyway, to film an heroic African dignatory squandering thousands of stolen US $'s while the West feeds her nation? SA and China will be the last to censure her. Go for it Dis-Grace! by Zim Exile on January 19 2009, 05:54 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

First Lady -huh Thats a Western concept - Grace Mugarbage is nothing but a stupid, venal S***** wrapped in silk. The photographer was hampered by his own civilization -he should have punched the stupid b1tch or thrashed her with his tripod. Personally I hope the intense . .more hatred of this stupid cow results in a slow and painful death when the final act of Zim is played out. . .less by Givemore on January 19 2009, 07:54 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Heroine Mrs Mugabe U r the heroine journalist are so 'lastig'. by SOUTH AFRICAN on January 19 2009, 08:09 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

How much longer ... .... do we have to put up with the Mugabes for? They are a blight on this continent. A past liberator has now become the the very evil that he once sought to depose. by Canot Taykit on January 19 2009, 08:19 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Savage First Lady @ Zim exile: Yeah, the food and the money from the West and the Colonials are great but we don't need them for anything else. They must leave us alone to kill each other and our country with it. We hate the West and the Colonials but . .more yes, their food and their money is always welcome so that our leaders can steal and pilfer it. And don't forget Zimbabwe belongs to the Mugabe's they can do with it and it's people what they like. SA censure us? Are you crazy to even think that? They are going the same way man! . .less by ainos on January 19 2009, 08:27 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

The Pig's wife No prizes for guessing where she learned her manners ! ! by Richard on January 19 2009, 08:40 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Why don't they arrest this waste of a human skin and let her scrub prison toilets for the rest of her life? How can the mugabe criminal cabal EVER be allowed to get away with what they've done and continue to do? The world is more interested in persecuting Israel when far more have and are . .more dying in Zim than in Gaza. Shame on us! . .less by Dave on January 19 2009, 08:42 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Great article in the UK Sunday Times Now can we see it reprinted in the local Press. How about some clever journalist acquiring also the hotel's security footage - now that would be fun. Crazy first lady hysterically thrashing out at photographer. He was lucky - In Zim he would . .more have been dragged off to some hell hole prison and quietly tortured and killed like the poor guy who filmed the cops beating Morgan. She was carrying a US $2000 handbag - at the original Zim dollar exchange rate before the noughts were removed, that would cost Zim$2,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 The Mugabes are a total embarrassment to Africa - maybe 2009 will be the year that other African leaders will wake up to reality and stop being silent cowards. . .less by Sad Days on January 19 2009, 08:47 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Chaushescu Remember Nikolai and his wife being shot by a firing squad... I think it is time for a Revolution in Zim... by Rogi on January 19 2009, 09:09 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

When will she be in Sandton again? Shops servicing her should be named and shamed. by Bos on January 19 2009, 09:16 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

A Shame to Black Africa Mugabe and his wife have taken Africa back to pre-civilization. Their behaviour is devoid of human intellect and yet they pursue the trappings of modern society in these ridiculous buying sprees. It's like casting pearls to swine. Their primitive ape-like . .more behavioral pattern can't possible know what to do with the stuff that she buys. When one considers the blood on their hands and their arrogance of their lifestyle one understands that they are the excrement of the human race. Assuming that they are not people of faith one cannot imagine what their ancestors are going to do with their rotten spiritual remains. . .less by Zepho on January 19 2009, 09:46 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

The First Lady of ZIM How much more Monkey Madness must we put up with? No deal in ZIM until Monkeyboy Mugage is gone - simple. You can't deal with a madman, who is no longer the legitimate ruler of that ruined country. by Andrew on January 19 2009, 10:13 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Grace This is one classy lady. by jake on January 19 2009, 11:20 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Lucky Journo That journo was damn lucky there wasn't a half brick lying around, a couple of black eyes would have been the least of his worries - he would have had his head beaten into the pavement with it. by Airwolf on January 19 2009, 12:00 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

bravo grace!!! finally the briton paparazi got what he wanted from one of our heroine and a victim of the bias western media. richard jones just imagine someone pointlessly and unwisely stalking to wife wherever she goes to simply make a story that would upset you??? . .more how many first ladies are busy travelling the earth and shopping at the moment? why dont go after them??? you simply got what you wanted jones! bravo grace our african daughter!!!!! Troubled Tanzanian, . .less by shakaman on January 19 2009, 12:21 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Our son of the soil ..Shakaman! I see poor Skakaman still has that spear up his bum ... by Airwolf on January 19 2009, 12:46 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Grace and posture Typical African First lady.............typical afican corruption, african greed, african spite, african arrogance and african stupidity. Imagine Laura Bush trashing a photographer......... Ahhhh and they want to be treated by the West equally. We feed . .more them, cloth them, house them, loan them billions (none of the above happen because the billions given are sucked up by these leaders) and they remain in squalor, disease and wars......when will these nations learn. Blame the white man, blame colonialism, blame western banks, blame, blame, blame......that's their bloody speciality. . .less by Nagappie on January 19 2009, 14:40 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

R300 mil Thanks very much to the ANC for giving Zimbabwe R300mil. It's very nice for the shopping. by Grace on January 19 2009, 14:42 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Shakaman - the village idiot, paid a retainer by Mug(cabbage) Boy have you lost the plot. The other first ladies have dignity and poise, and generally dont fight in the street. Their husbands are not ruining their countires and neither are they stealing CASH ($92k) from right under the poor peoples noses. . .more Furthermore most presidents want their countries to PROSPER - not go down the toilet. Mugabage is a disgrace to Africa and the word Democracy. . .less by zoo_keeper on January 19 2009, 14:48 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

welcome to the mugabe handshake r by rm on January 19 2009, 15:52 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Why was she in Hong Kong? Shopping trip? I doubt it. Exporting money? Surely yes. Shouldn't the HK Police check her accounts? They should. Hope she was not shopping for young boys given her husband's mental and penus condition for which every single Zim is aware off. After . .more all no-one in earth would have a penus if he f....others the way Erected Bob does. As for the mental? Sorry... who... what? . .less by MiniMe on January 19 2009, 16:02 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Why did he wait two days before reporting it? The whole world would like to have seen her in police custody... by Disappointed on January 19 2009, 16:47 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

Only 1 Bodyguard for Grace? Shame on you Bob. Speak to your close friends Thabo Jacob and Monty. They will tell you you need at least 30 armed guards with flashing lights, machine guns and whatever it takes to remove any normal person who happens to be within 100 meters of you. It . .more is an African male thing Bob and one thought you knew these things. It is rather like having half a dozen or whatever wives you want and 20 plus kids and sex with whoever and spreading aids - an african way of life for african men. Just make sure the women do not get any ideas about rights and freedom that western women enjoy. . .less by Hahahaharare on January 19 2009, 17:56 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

The journos are really evil... This journo being assaulted, Steve Hofmeyer's incident (tea into the journo's face), Diana's death and Britney Spears incident, etc. Should journos be allowed to stalk people like this to make money? It must be wrong to be stalked by another human being . .more like this, 24/7. Go Grace, go...you have at least my support! . .less by ap on January 19 2009, 18:57 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

hehehehhe did you ak for permission to take pictures Lesson learned there. by Siyabulela Livatsha on January 23 2009, 11:14 Find this comment inappropriate? Report it

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