Police top brass visit illegal military site in Mpumalanga

NINETY-five Libyan nationals, arrested at a military facility in Mpumalanga on Friday, are expected to be deported once police investigations have been wrapped up.

According to Police Minister Senzo Mchunu, the men were in the country illegally as there were violations picked up in their visa applications.

Mchunu visited the site in White River on Saturday, along with senior police management including national police commissioner Fannie Masemola and Hawks head Godfrey Lebeya.

Mchunu said the men remain in police custody.

Addressing the media, Mchunu said that while the facility is legal in terms of Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira) processes, investigations have revealed the activities carried out at the facility are not compliant with what is stated on the Psira documents.

Residents have also told the police that the men terrorise the local community, often robbing and assaulting people.

On Friday, a multi-disciplinary team raided the facility.

The SAPS are meanwhile gearing up to investigate the possibilities of more illegal military training bases across the country following the discovery of the facility at a farm outside White River.

Mpumalanga police raided the farm on Friday and uncovered what seemed to be a secret military base training illegal Libyan nationals since April this year.

The police uncovered the base after receiving a tip-off from community members from Masoyi village near the base.

According to Mpumalanga police spokesperson Colonel Donald Mdhluli, they received intelligence about the activities at the facility.

The raid led to the detention of 95 Libyan nationals who were found to be training at the camp.

The suspects, who are also facing charges of being in the country illegally, are slated to appear in the Kabokweni Magistrate's Court on Monday.

When an Independent Media team arrived at the camp, which is well hidden from the public eye, there was military training equipment present as well as tents where the suspects slept and a dining hall.

According to a local villager, the arrested suspects used to visit the village for drinks and allegedly caused havoc among the members of the community, who have laid a number of cases.

Addressing the media on Saturday, the police minister, flanked by his two deputies Cassel Mathale and Polly Boshielo, said the police were looking into the possibilities of other camps of this kind.

“From where we are, investigations are continuing and we are not going to confine ourselves to what we have established now. We are going to expand our checks because this might be one at this point, but if there is anything that we come across we will follow it. We are doing investigations,” he said.

Asked why it took four months for this to be discovered, Mchunu said officials were still investigating.

“When law officials came across information they started an investigation. Investigations of this nature can take a year, it can take four months. It can take whatever period that would be necessitated by the need to get facts before you act.

“In the main, we are here to address what might be anxiety in SA at the moment. The people that were involved here are in custody and we are going to continue with investigations.”

He added that law enforcement agencies came across reports and investigations that sprung from a number of pointers that there were issues that required to be investigated.

“Reports came from various sources and were compiled. Further investigations and reaction was that the people who are in the spotlight of this needed to be arrested and they got arrested.

“What we have seen inside confirms what we have seen has been contained in the reports presented to us… These things point to a number of issues we are focussing on following the arrests.

He said the process of visa applications was violated and that would be finalised at some point.

“But while this facility here is legal in terms of Psira processes, on further scrutiny it was found that what is happening here is non-compliant with the application,” he said.