Mass graves: NPA trip on hold
2005-11-25 07:36
Pretoria - A trip by five National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) forensic experts to Namibia next week, to help with the investigation of mass graves discovered in the north of that country, has been postponed.
"Our team was informed late this afternoon that the visit has been postponed until further negotiations," NPA spokesperson Lucinda Moonieya said on Thursday.
She wouldn't say who informed the team of this or what remained to be negotiated with whom.
In the morning, Moonieya said the five, members of the NPA's missing persons task team, would be accompanied by the head of the Argentinian forensic anthropology unit, Luis Fondebrider.
They were to have been in Namibia from next Tuesday to Thursday.
Moonieya said the experts were to meet their Namibian counterparts, visit the graves, and inspect the human remains.
They were to have made a presentation on how such cases were normally investigated and discuss further assistance required from South Africa.
This was to have been formulated into a memorandum of understanding.
"This is more of a preliminary assessment," Moonieya said at the time.
At least five mass graves have been found near former South African military bases in northern Namibia.
The remains are thought to be those of fighters from the South West African People's Organisation's military wing, Plan, who may have been killed in the so-called nine-day war in April 1989.
Namibian president Hifikepunye Pohamba has reportedly asked for South Africa's assistance in probing the graves, while the South African government has repeatedly indicated its willingness to help where it can.
- SAPA