Zimbabwe’s deputy information minister says extraditing former first lady Grace Mugabe to South Africa would constitute “harassment”.

South Africa’s National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has issued an arrest warrant for the former first lady in connection with her alleged assault of model Gabriella Engels, who was partying with her sons at a hotel in Johannesburg in 2017.

While charges were laid‚ Mugabe was controversially allowed to leave the country after the South African government granted her diplomatic immunity. That decision was overturned by the high court in July after Engels appealed the decision.

Lobby group AfriForum revealed the existence of the warrant at a press conference on Wednesday.