'Mercenaries' lose SA appeal

E Guinea: Ripe for coup
Who are the detained men?
"All the judgements hold that the claim that steps be taken as a matter of urgency by the South African government to seek the extradition of the applicants from Zimbabwe must be dismissed," he said.

Last week during their trial in Zimbabwe, Simon Mann, the alleged leader of the men, pleaded guilty to security offences and all but three pleaded guilty to minor violations of aviation and immigration laws.

The group have maintained all along that they were going to the Democratic Republic of Congo to provide security for mining operations.

The governments of South Africa, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea believe they were heading to the small, oil-rich country to overthrow the government.


Following their arrest in March, they had claimed they were tortured by Zimbabwean security agents.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3534732.stm

Concourt dismisses coup suspects' appeal
In the majority judgment, Chaskalson also chided the lawyers for the men for attempting to rush the process through the media.

"There is no justification for the peremptory manner in which the proceedings were commenced, no satisfactory explanation for the failure to make the demand at the time the media was informed that court proceedings were to be launched. It must have been obvious to the applicants' attorneys that the demands could not reasonably have been responded to (by the government) within twenty four hours," Chaskalson said.

"Not surprisingly, there was no response."

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa said the department "noted and welcomed" the court's decision.

"We still have to study the full text of the judgment to enable us to comment in greater detail. Nonetheless government will continue to offer consular services to South Africans imprisoned abroad including those in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea," Mamoepa said. - Sapa
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http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=68&art_id=qw1091613241536B252


No homecoming
for Zim 70
04/08/2004 12:21 - (SA)


A dejected looking Marge Pain, wife of Ken Pain and Piet Style, brother of Neil Style after the Constitutional Court judgment. (Shayne Robinson, Sapa)


Johannesburg - The Constitutional Court on Wednesday dismissed an appeal by 69 South Africans held in Harare against a judgment by the Pretoria High Court in June that the government be compelled to assist them.

The men are being held on charges of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea. They have since pleaded guilty before a special court in a Harare prison to violations of Zimbabwe's immigration, firearms and security laws.
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http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_1567902,00.html