‘Namibians among mercenaries’ detained in Zimbabwe

CLOSE to 20 Namibians are among a group of 64 suspected mercenaries who were arrested in Harare with “suspicious equipment”, the Zimbabwe state media reported yesterday.

The plane they were travelling on was impounded. Last night South African sources told The Namibian that most of the men detained in Zimbabwe were 32 Battalion members, and it was possible that Namibians, including former Koevoet members, were part of the group.The same sources said some Lebanese nationals, allegedly operating through the South African mercenaries group Executive Outcomes, were leading a coup against the government of Equatorial Guinea.But news agency reports are conflicting.The South African news agency, Sapa, received a statement from Logo Logistics, which is believed to have links with Executive Outcomes, saying the 64 and their equipment were miners going to the Democratic Republic of Congo.Zimbabwe state media reported that the group consisted of 18 Namibians, one Zimbabwean with a South African passport, 23 Angolans and two Congolese.Zimbabwe television described the 64 as mostly “white heavily built males” and a news agency journalist said the whites were “taking the leading role”.Zimbabwe, which has been railing against imperialists, announced on Monday that it had seized the US-registered plane.The announcement came a few days after the Bush administration tightened sanctions again Mugabe’s regime over poor human rights.Zimbabwe’s Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi told journalists that owners made plane “made false declaration of its cargo and crew”.”The plane was actually carrying 64 suspected mercenaries of various nationalities,” the French news agency, AFP, quoted Mohadi, adding the “further investigations also revealed that on board the plane was military material”.That equipment, shown on state television, included satellite telephones, compasses, radios, military-style knives and boots, bolt-cutters and sleeping bags.Zimbabwe television opined that it was the sort of gear usually used by “commandos on a special mission”, but Jim Pippin, who saw it being loaded aboard the aircraft at the Wonderboom airport just north of Pretoria, told AFP: “It looked more like people going on a mining operation.It’s certainly not the type of stuff I would like to start a war with.”Last night South African sources told The Namibian that most of the men detained in Zimbabwe were 32 Battalion members, and it was possible that Namibians, including former Koevoet members, were part of the group.The same sources said some Lebanese nationals, allegedly operating through the South African mercenaries group Executive Outcomes, were leading a coup against the government of Equatorial Guinea.But news agency reports are conflicting.The South African news agency, Sapa, received a statement from Logo Logistics, which is believed to have links with Executive Outcomes, saying the 64 and their equipment were miners going to the Democratic Republic of Congo.Zimbabwe state media reported that the group consisted of 18 Namibians, one Zimbabwean with a South African passport, 23 Angolans and two Congolese.Zimbabwe television described the 64 as mostly “white heavily built males” and a news agency journalist said the whites were “taking the leading role”.Zimbabwe, which has been railing against imperialists, announced on Monday that it had seized the US-registered plane.The announcement came a few days after the Bush administration tightened sanctions again Mugabe’s regime over poor human rights.Zimbabwe’s Home Affairs Minister Kembo Mohadi told journalists that owners made plane “made false declaration of its cargo and crew”.”The plane was actually carrying 64 suspected mercenaries of various nationalities,” the French news agency, AFP, quoted Mohadi, adding the “further investigations also revealed that on board the plane was military material”.That equipment, shown on state television, included satellite telephones, compasses, radios, military-style knives and boots, bolt-cutters and sleeping bags.Zimbabwe television opined that it was the sort of gear usually used by “commandos on a special mission”, but Jim Pippin, who saw it being loaded aboard the aircraft at the Wonderboom airport just north of Pretoria, told AFP: “It looked more like people going on a mining operation.It’s certainly not the type of stuff I would like to start a war with.”