Relatives of Zim mercenary suspects petition Mbeki

PRETORIA – About 150 family members and friends of alleged mercenaries held in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea handed over a memorandum addressed to President Thabo Mbeki at the Union Buildings yesterday, calling for government intervention.

“I believe my brother is innocent and does not belong there. He is a South African citizen and needs his government’s help,” said Whanita Horn who with her family drove from Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.Her brother, Lourens (31), a former policeman and special task force member based in Pretoria, had recently returned from a stint as a body guard in Iraq when he volunteered to serve as a security guard in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).Horn is one of 70 alleged mercenaries arrested at Harare International Airport two months ago when their Boeing 727 stopped to refuel and pick up military equipment.More than 30 of the suspects are said to be Namibians, most of whom served in former South African battalions.The Zimbabwean authorities claim they were on their way to join 15 suspected mercenaries arrested in Equatorial Guinea and charged with plotting to overthrow the government of the oil-rich central African nation.Deputy Foreign Affairs minister, Aziz Pahad, on Monday reiterated that the government would not interfere in the judicial process despite announcements by lawyers representing the alleged mercenaries, that a free and fair trial would be impossible.- Nampa-APHe is a South African citizen and needs his government’s help,” said Whanita Horn who with her family drove from Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.Her brother, Lourens (31), a former policeman and special task force member based in Pretoria, had recently returned from a stint as a body guard in Iraq when he volunteered to serve as a security guard in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).Horn is one of 70 alleged mercenaries arrested at Harare International Airport two months ago when their Boeing 727 stopped to refuel and pick up military equipment.More than 30 of the suspects are said to be Namibians, most of whom served in former South African battalions.The Zimbabwean authorities claim they were on their way to join 15 suspected mercenaries arrested in Equatorial Guinea and charged with plotting to overthrow the government of the oil-rich central African nation.Deputy Foreign Affairs minister, Aziz Pahad, on Monday reiterated that the government would not interfere in the judicial process despite announcements by lawyers representing the alleged mercenaries, that a free and fair trial would be impossible.- Nampa-AP