The Department of Home Affairs has confirmed the deportation of the 95 Libyans, who were arrested at an illegal military camp near White River in Mpumalanga last month.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) dropped charges after they were arrested
The news of the Libyans being deported still has unanswered questions about what they were doing in the country.
The withdrawal of charges came after their lawyer, Nico du Plessis, filed an urgent requisition on Thursday.
“Department minister, Dr Leon Schreiber, has instructed the department to proceed with speed, while observing all the legal processes to ensure that the deportations are conducted swiftly,” the statement read.
“Consequently, department officials are in court to secure the confirmations for deportation from the magistrate.
“This will pave the way for their deportation. They are also finalising logistics for the deportation. As indicated earlier, deportation was among the options Home Affairs considered working with other law enforcement authorities. The Department stands ready to send the group back to their home country,” the statement read.
Schreiber said: “We will not hesitate to act decisively to ensure that anyone who breaches the immigration laws of the country is processed through the courts and accordingly faces the consequences. Respect for the rule of law is sacrosanct.”
Speaking to the media Thursday, NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa said the Department of Home Affairs had resumed the process to deport the Libyan nationals.
“Going forward, the administration process is going to be taken in order to be deported back to their country,” she said.
It has not yet been revealed why he had brought them into South Africa. However, the men, who are still in custody, intimated that they were in the country to train as security officers.
The men appeared for a second time in the White River Magistrate’s Court on Monday, but their case was postponed to the 26th of this month for further investigations.
They were charged with contravening the South African Immigration Act after provincial police raided a farm near White River last month, uncovering what appeared to be a secret military base for training the Libyans.
The raid has raised more questions than answers, with authorities seeking to uncover the true intentions of the Libyans and the purpose of their training.
The men were found to be involved in military-style training, sparking concerns about national security.
The incident has also highlighted regulatory failures, with the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority admitting that it only learnt of the illegal training on July 8 despite authorities having had intelligence about the Libyans’ arrival in April.
Saturday Star