12 DAYS after 95 Libyan nationals were arrested at what is alleged to be a “military training camp” in Mpumalanga, authorities have more questions than answers.
Questions about how the nationals got to the camp and why they were being trained are yet to be determined, despite the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (Psira) having declared the facility to be illegal.
The oversight body, during a media briefing in Tshwane on Wednesday, informed journalists that investigations found that the training facility was illegal. It was considering legal action against the trainers and individuals linked to the facility.
The Libyans, who could be facing more charges, are being prosecuted for contravening the South African Immigration Act after provincial police raided the White River facility last month.
The men were found to have misrepresented their intentions on their visa applications, claiming they intended to study in South Africa. However, it was later revealed that they were involved in training at the illegal military camp.
Home Affairs said the men entered the country with visas that were “acquired through misrepresentation in Tunis, Tunisia”.
The security regulatory body also found that the instructors were foreign nationals who were uncredited and used false military ranks at the facility owned by Milites Dei Security Services (MDSS).
Psira CEO Manabela Chauke said some of the findings revealed that the duration of the training programme was longer than normal accredited training, and that the standard of the training was foreign or adopted from another country.
He added that the owners of MDSS violated the country’s Immigration Act.
“The duration of the training programmes conducted by MDSS took longer than our local security training programmes. The nature of the training included extensive physical activities with military-style structures and aids. Investigation also uncovered (that) the instructors are not accredited by the authority at that facility.”
Chauke said the owners of the “security company” had been served with suspension letters from the regulator.
Chauke had learnt of the illegal training only on July 8 despite authorities having had intelligence that the Libyans arrived in April.
He said that on July 9, he launched an investigation which resulted in the organisation slapping MDSS with an instruction to stop the training on July 23 for further investigation. The Libyans were arrested July 26 during the raid.
Authorities are continuing with multi-agency investigations into what the Libyans’ intentions were for training in the country.
Although it is suspected a Libyan businessman flew in the men, he was later nowhere to be found, leaving the men without food at the base, resulting in them terrorising nearby villages.
It has not yet been revealed why he had brought them to South Africa. The men, who are still in custody, intimated that they were in the country to train as security officers.
They were detained after their case was adjourned on Monday to August 26.
The National Prosecuting Authority said they and the police were working to ensure that the outstanding investigations were being finalised.
Pretoria News