Almot Maqolo
Former First Lady Grace Mugabe has been put on a list of people barred from visiting New Zealand.
The announcement was made early this month by the newly installed government and includes individuals suspected to have been involved in the murder of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
The restrictions came into place on December 1.
The banning comes as Grace recently lost her husband and former President Robert Mugabe four months ago who died and was buried at his rural home in Kutama Village in Zvimba, Mashonaland West province. The private burial came as a surprise as President Mnangagwa’s government was preparing mausoleum at the National Heroes Are in Harare.
According to the Otago Daily Times, instructions sent to immigration officials in New Zealand do not name the people on the list, but it says it holds a list of them.
“Meanwhile, Grace Mugabe has also been added to the list of those under New Zealand visa restriction,” the paper reported.
The European Union has also kept Grace Mugabe, her late husband and some Zimbabwean government officials, on travel restrictions after easing the embargo on several others.
