We’re not mercenaries, say Namibians detained in Zim

THE 28 Namibians detained in Zimbabwe have dismissed as “sensationalist” reports that they are mercenaries.

They insist that they are security guards who were on their way the Democratic Republic of Congo. Speaking through their lawyer, Jonathan Samkange, from Harare yesterday the Namibians, together with about 40 other detainees, denied suggestions that they were on a mission to topple the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, or to abduct former Liberian President Charles Taylor.”They said that is nonsense.They were going to the DRC to protect diamond mines.They say it is rubbish.Some of them even have the uniform of Delta Corporation [showing they] have been working in the DRC for years,” said Samkange.The 70 appeared in court at the Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison on Tuesday.They were arrested on March 7 when a Boeing 727 they were travelling in was seized at the Harare international airport.Zimbabwean authorities claimed the men planned to join 15 others, who were later detained in Equatorial Guinea, to overthrow and topple President Mbasogo.The 70 have so far been charged with conspiracy to posses and purchase dangerous weapons, breach of firearms laws, immigration regulations and civil aviation laws.Their case has been postponed to April 13 and the suspects have not been asked to plead.According to court papers, the accused were allegedly “sponsored externally”.Samkange confirmed that the leader of the group, Simon Mann, was indeed buying weapons from the state-linked Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), but that that nothing was done clandestinely.”They went to the government [to buy the weapons], not to an individual.They even have an agreement signed by all parties,” said Samkange.Meanwhile, the lawyer said his clients were unaware of latest suggestions that they allegedly planned to abduct former Liberian President Charles Taylor in order to collect a bounty of US$2 million from the United States.The US offered the reward to anyone who could get Taylor before a UN tribunal in Sierra Leone, where he has been indicted for aiding the Revolutionary United Front Rebels (RUF) which is accused of chopping people’s hands off.The report was carried by South Africa’s This Day newspaper, quoting sources.Speaking through their lawyer, Jonathan Samkange, from Harare yesterday the Namibians, together with about 40 other detainees, denied suggestions that they were on a mission to topple the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, or to abduct former Liberian President Charles Taylor.”They said that is nonsense.They were going to the DRC to protect diamond mines.They say it is rubbish.Some of them even have the uniform of Delta Corporation [showing they] have been working in the DRC for years,” said Samkange.The 70 appeared in court at the Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison on Tuesday.They were arrested on March 7 when a Boeing 727 they were travelling in was seized at the Harare international airport.Zimbabwean authorities claimed the men planned to join 15 others, who were later detained in Equatorial Guinea, to overthrow and topple President Mbasogo.The 70 have so far been charged with conspiracy to posses and purchase dangerous weapons, breach of firearms laws, immigration regulations and civil aviation laws.Their case has been postponed to April 13 and the suspects have not been asked to plead.According to court papers, the accused were allegedly “sponsored externally”.Samkange confirmed that the leader of the group, Simon Mann, was indeed buying weapons from the state-linked Zimbabwe Defence Industries (ZDI), but that that nothing was done clandestinely.”They went to the government [to buy the weapons], not to an individual.They even have an agreement signed by all parties,” said Samkange.Meanwhile, the lawyer said his clients were unaware of latest suggestions that they allegedly planned to abduct former Liberian President Charles Taylor in order to collect a bounty of US$2 million from the United States.The US offered the reward to anyone who could get Taylor before a UN tribunal in Sierra Leone, where he has been indicted for aiding the Revolutionary United Front Rebels (RUF) which is accused of chopping people’s hands off.The report was carried by South Africa’s This Day newspaper, quoting sources.