Air steward Douglas Albrightson (27) was granted bail of N$20 000 when he appeared in the Bellville Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

By yesterday afternoon, the bail had not yet been paid, The Namibian was informed from Goodwood Prison in Cape Town, where Albrightson is being detained.

Albrightson was granted bail on condition that he surrenders his passport to the South African Police Service, that he may not leave the Western Cape Province while his case remains pending, and that he has to report to the Table Bay Police Station every day.

He has to appear in the Bellville Magistrate's Court again on September 18.

Albrightson was arrested at Cape Town International Airport on August 23 when members of the SA Police stopped and searched him before he was supposed to board a flight to Windhoek.

The SA Police announced early last week that some 230 grams of suspected cocaine, valued at about 66 171 rand, was found secreted away in Albrightson's underpants.

With the substance having been sent off to be analysed to establish if it is an illegal drug as suspected, it is now thought that it may in fact be the drug "cat", it was indicated from the Bellville Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Cat is a stimulant of which the active ingredient is methcathinone.

Its effects on the user are similar to those of cocaine.

Albrightson faces a charge of possession of illegal drugs at this stage.

Air Namibia spokesperson Mia de Klerk told The Namibian on Tuesday that the airline is taking action as a result of Albrightson's arrest.

Except for saying that internal procedures were in progress, De Klerk did not want to detail the steps being taken by the airline, saying that in terms of Air Namibia's staff rules certain timeframes have to be adhered to and that this had to be done before the airline would comment further on the matter.

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