Mugabe attack victim offered beauty course
Gabriella Engels Gabriella Engels
Two women, one of them from Cape Town, secured the 20-year-old a bursary to complete a make-up course.
Civil rights organisation AfriForum, which has taken on Engels’s legal fight, has welcomed the offer.
Angela Botha from Kommetjie acted as a link between Face to Face Beauty & Make-up Design School palie, Shirley Wenman, and AfriForum.
Botha had posted a message of support for Engels on Facebook, which Wenman saw.
The women soon interacted on the post, and Wenman then asked Botha to liaise with AfriForum, which Botha said she did.
Botha said she considered Engels to be a brave role model.
“Some people picked on her and said nasty things. Her fight then became my cause. I contacted AfriForum and they were delighted,” Botha said.
Wenman said she admired Engels for standing up to Mugabe.
“After reading about how Grace hit her and seeing the wounds, my heart broke. My first thought was that make-up will be able to cover the scar she will have on her forehead for the rest of her life. I then read that she has refused a bribe, and I said I needed to do something to show I admire her,” Wenman said.
The course Gabriella was offered is in Parktown, Johannesburg.
Gabriella, 20, was attacked by Mugabe while visiting the first lady’s sons, Robert Jr. and Chatunga Bellarmine Mugabe, at an upmarket hotel in Sandton about two weeks ago.
Mugabe used an extension cord to assault the model and her two friends, while the two sons and Mugabe’s bodyguards stood by and watched.
Gabriella soon posted pictures of an open cut on her forehead, which went viral.
AfriForum’s Gerrie Nel is representing Gabriella, and at the end of last week they approached the North Gauteng High Court, asking the court to set aside a decision by International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane to grant diplomatic immunity to Mugabe.