HARARE, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- The ruling Zanu-PF party of Zimbabwe will on Wednesday hold a solidarity rally for First Lady Grace Mugabe, who two weeks ago had to invoke diplomatic immunity cover to evade a court appearance after she allegedly assaulted a South African model in Johannesburg.
With the South African police wanting to interview her and human rights group AfriForum pushing for her prosecution, the South African government said it recognized her diplomatic immunity status and allowed her to leave with President Robert Mugabe who had been attending a SADC summit there.
One of the organizers of the solidarity rally and commissar for Harare Province, Shadreck Mashayamombe, confirmed to Xinhua Tuesday that the rally would take place but denied that the solidarity had anything to do with what transpired in South Africa.
"We don't have anything to do with what happened in South Africa. We are just holding the rally to show our support to her as our leader," Mashayamombe said.
However, a message on social media posted by Abicia Ushewokunze, provincial secretary for information and publicity, said the day should be remembered as the one on which they "defied sinister driven forces bent on undermining our integrity, self dignity, self rule" and the use of modern day warfare against the party and Zimbabweans.
"The spirit of togetherness shall bind us in both the mental and physical; we will stand and fight as one people for the good and betterment of our mother Dr. Grace Mugabe," the statement said.
The First Lady has been under the spotlight after she allegedly assaulted Gabriella Engels in a hotel room when she found her in the company of her two sons -- Robert Junior and Chatunga.
AfriForum and South African opposition party Democratic Alliance have since launched court appeals to have her diplomatic immunity status revoked so that she faces trial in South Africa.
