Zimbabwe says 'no need' to extradite former first lady

The Zimbabwean government says there is "no need" to extradite Grace Mugabe, the wife of the country's former leader, to neighbouring South Africa after police there issued a warrant for her arrest.

Energy Mutodi, Zimbabwe's deputy minister of information, said Thursday that the government objects to the move by South African law enforcement against Mugabe, who is accused of assaulting a woman in Johannesburg last year.

Mutodi says former president Robert Mugabe was the country's founder and that "harassment of his immediate family members is not in the best interests of Zimbabwe." Earlier this year, a South African court ruled that South Africa's government acted illegally when it granted diplomatic immunity to Grace Mugabe after the alleged attack at an upscale hotel.