By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has withdrawn its case against the 95 Libyans found at the White River military in Mpumalanga.
The suspects appeared in court on 15 August at the White River Magistrate’s Court on charges relating to contravention ofImmigration Act.
The men were detained on July 26 at the remote training camp in Mpumalanga province, which borders Mozambique and Eswatini.
During their initial appearances in court, the accused said they were receiving security training at the camp.
There was insufficient evidence to prosecute the men, the National Prosecuting Authority said.
“After the NPA looked at the evidence contained in the docket and representation by the employers of the group, it was decided to withdraw the case,” stated Mpumalanga NPA spokesperson Monica Nyuswa.
“All criminal cases have been withdrawn against the accused. The charges were not sustainable for us to continue prosecution,” Nyuswa said.
Fullview understands the 95 Libyans were upbeat, screaming in jubilation after hearing the state was withdrawing their case.
The men will now be handed over to the Department Home Affairs for deportation.
They were only charged with violating the country’s immigration laws, and their lawyer told reporters after the charges were withdrawn today that they expected them to be deported back to Libya in the next 48 hours.
SA Police Service had been investigating the circumstances around the security training facility as well as the roles of the owners of the facility.
Colonel Donald Mdhluli, the provincial police spokesperson said, “normally, when individuals are charged under the Immigration Act and found guilty, deportation is the natural consequence,” Mdhluli said.
“That was the likely outcome here, given that the 95 Libyans had misrepresented themselves during visa applications.
“However, there were also unverified allegations of robbery and rape in the Masoyi area, which led us to keep them in custody while we investigated further.”
Despite repeated requests for victims to come forward and despite the seriousness of the accusations, Mdhluli noted that the community never filed any formal charges.
Mdhluli assured that investigations into Milites Dei Security Services, the company operating the camp, are ongoing.
“We are continuing to investigate the company to establish whether they violated any South African laws,” he added.
Some reports have said the group may have been sent to South Africa to train for the Libyan faction of Khalifa Haftar, who controls the oil-rich east of the unstable country.
The UN-recognised Libyan government said in a statement it “formally and clearly denies” any affiliation with the men in South Africa.