'SA mercenary' heads men on seized plane
2004-03-09 21:39
Harare - A "known South African mercenary" headed a group which included about 60 South Africans, Namibians and Angolans found aboard a US-registered plane seized by Zimbabwean authorities at the weekend, the government said on Tuesday.
Zimbabwean home affairs minister Kembo Mohadi said Simon Witherspoon, a "known South African mercenary" appeared to be the leader of the group.
A former member of the South African defence force, Witherspoon, joined mercenary company Executive Outcomes in 1989, according to the minister.
"So far, it would appear that Harare was not the final destination of the group," the minister said.
"Bujumbura in Burundi, Mbuji Mayi in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) and other destinations have been given by the group," he said.
There were also two citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo and one Zimbabwean who held a South African passport on the plane, he said.