SA politician held at Heathrow
2008-06-05 18:02
Johannesburg - Young Communist League (YCL) national secretary Buti Manamela was detained for five hours at London's Heathrow airport after immigration officials suspected he was a terrorist, the league said on Thursday.
Spokesperson Castro Ngobese said the YCL was disgusted at the incident, which happened just after Manamela flew into the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
"(He) was held and interrogated by immigration officers and security police on suspicion that he is a terrorist," said Ngobese.
"This behaviour and barbaric interrogation of the National Secretary demonstrates this imperialist inclination of Britain and its authorities."
He said it was deplorable that a young communist would be interrogated in Britain, which is known for its left-wing leaning politics and activism.
"This does not auger well for bilateral relations of our country and Britain.
"We demand an apology from the British authorities and failure to do so we will mobilise our members in protest and expose the imperialist scare tactics camouflaged as anti-terror measures," Ngobese said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was aware of the incident.
"We were alerted to Mr Manamela's plight yesterday (Wednesday). The matter will be referred to South Africa's High Commissioner in London, Lindiwe Mabuza," said spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa.
- SAPA