Committee to report on Zim arms
28/06/2008 09:18 - (SA)


Pretoria - The National Conventional Arms Control Committee will respond next week to a report that South Africa has been supplying weapons of war to Zimbabwe.

Chairperson of the NCACC, January Masilela, said he would wait for the return of Minister Sydney Mufamadi from Zimbawe to comment on the article.

Mufamadi is in Zimbabwe as part of President Thabo Mbeki's facilitation team.

The Mail & Guardian on Friday reported that weapons, including helicopters, revolvers and cartridges, were supplied to Zimbabwe despite the mounting human rights abuses in that country.

The newspaper claimed information in its possession pointed to a cosy relationship between the defence forces of both countries, as well as government-to-government arms transfers.

Private South African companies had also sold arms to Zimbabwe and these transfers must have been approved by the NCACC. Armaments to the value of R3.3m were privately transferred from South Africa to Zimbabwe, according to 2004 and 2005 figures, the paper stated.

It also said the Department of Defence donated Dakota aircraft engines worth millions to Zimbabwe, while Armscor transferred spares to get Zimbabwean military helicopters flying again.

Zimbabwean soldiers and flying instructors had been trained by the SA National Defence Force and the SA Air Force, the newspaper said.

Stolen cars found in Lesotho
29/06/2008 07:22 - (SA)


Johannesburg - More than 100 vehicles that were impounded in Lesotho have been returned to South Africa, SABC news said on Saturday.

The news stations said an agreement was reached between Lesotho and South African police to return all stolen cars seized in Lesotho.

"Some of the vehicles were stolen as long ago as 1993," said SABC news.

Police spokesperson Thandi Mbambo told SABC news that most of the vehicles had been tampered with and some were registered in Lesotho.

SA accused of deporting refugees
28/06/2008 22:09 - (SA)

Johannesburg - Aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres says South Africa has deported about 450 Zimbabweans from a detention centre on the border.

The international medical aid group says one of its teams visited the centre on Friday, the day a presidential run-off was held in Zimbabwe. It says aid workers found more than 450 men, women and children at the centre who said they had crossed the border in recent days, fleeing instability and political violence.

Medecins Sans Frontieres said in a statement on Saturday that when the aid team returned in the morning with supplies for the Zimbabweans, they found the centre empty.

The aid group says South African authorities confirmed that all the Zimbabweans in the centre had been transported back across the border.

Bush: Zim govt is 'illegitimate'
28/06/2008 20:48 - (SA)


Washington - US President George W Bush said on Saturday he had directed that sanctions be drawn up against the "illegitimate" government of Zimbabwe after a run-off vote boycotted by the opposition.

"Given the Mugabe regime's blatant disregard for the Zimbabwean people's democratic will and human rights, I am instructing the Secretaries of State and Treasury to develop sanctions against this illegitimate government of Zimbabwe and those who support it," Bush said in a statement.

The president said the United States would also be pressing for "strong action" at the United Nations, including an arms embargo on Zimbabwe and travel ban on regime officials, following the "sham election" on Friday.

The UN failed to agree on Friday on a statement declaring the run-off illegitimate in the face of South African opposition, merely issuing a statement of regret.

Zimbabwe's veteran leader Robert Mugabe was unopposed in the vote after opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out, saying violence against his supporters had made a fair vote impossible.

Tsvangirai had beaten Mugabe in the March first round, although not by enough to secure a clear victory.

Government sources said Mugabe is expected to be inaugurated for a new term as president on Sunday.

Hunt on for princess's killers
28/06/2008 11:08 - (SA)


Kaapmuiden - Police say they are hot on the heels of the suspected hitman responsible for murdering one of South Africa's most senior Swazi princesses.

Princess Sibongile Promise Magongo, 38, was shot in the head in front of her eight-year-old daughter outside her home in Louisville, near Kaapmuiden in Mpumalanga, on the night of June 21 after arriving home from a youth meeting.

Police organised crime spokesperson Captain Leonard Hlathi confirmed on Friday that police are about to arrest the gunman, but refused to comment on widespread speculation about the motives for the murder.

"All I can say is that we are close to arresting suspects," said Captain Hlathi.

Magongo was chief wife of Prince Tikhontele Dlamini, who heads the predominantly Siswati KaloMshiyo Traditional Authority.

Prince Tikhontele is the most senior Swazi royal in South Africa, and is the paramount royal representative in the country for Swaziland's King Mswati III.

He is also the champion for Swaziland's land claim on vast tracts of Mpumalanga, demanding that apartheid-era international treaties be honoured by South Africa's new democratic government and that thousands of hectares be transferred back to Swaziland.

The land was originally usurped from the Swazi kingdom by colonial-era Boer raiders.

Prince Tikhontele and his surviving family are in hiding this week and were therefore unavailable for comment on speculation that Magongo was professionally assassinated either as revenge by political rivals, or because of an internal power-struggle within his chieftaincy.

KaloMshiyo Traditional Authority secretary, Ray Dlamini, on Friday denied that there is a chieftaincy dispute.

Police should rather, he said, investigate a rogue induna in Swaziland, whose land falls under the KaloMshiyo Traditional Authority.

"Tikhontele and the clan itself appointed Magongo to manage aspects of the traditional authority. In November, 2006, Magongo ordered the induna to step down from his position because of certain irregularities," said Dlamini. "She called a meeting in Swaziland where the induna was relieved of his duties. He threatened her, saying he would not be removed from his position by a woman."

Traditional Swazi structures do not recognise colonial borders, but, says Dlamini, the induna tried to organise a revolt against Tikhontele's leadership, arguing that he should not have any authority in Swaziland as he was a South African citizen.

Anyone with information about the murder is asked to call Captain Hlathi on 082 462 0804 or the Lows Creek police on (013) 710 0111 or 082 448 9919.