RantCrush Top 5: August 16, 2017

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe’s wife Grace Mugabe is accused of assaulting a 20-year-old model at a hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa. The woman, Gabriella Engels, was visiting friends of Mugabe’s sons in one of the hotel rooms when Grace Mugabe reportedly started beating her without any explanation. “She flipped and just kept beating me with the plug. Over and over,” Engels said, and added that she had to crawl out of the room before being able to stand up and run away. Mugabe’s bodyguards allegedly stood by and watched as the assault happened. A picture aired by local news outlets show a deep gash in Engels’ head. No one knows why Mugabe was so angry or what provoked the attack.

It’s also not known exactly where Mugabe is, as she failed to turn herself in to Johannesburg police and Zimbabwe officials say the whole story is a media plot to tarnish her reputation. The incident could cause a diplomatic conflict between the two countries. Mugabe has been accused of assault overseas before–in 2009, she punched a British photographer in Hong Kong.

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.