'No money in this business'

2003-08-01 21:54

Erika Gibson

Johannesburg - Former members of the South African Defence Force were hired as mercenaries for the Ivory Coast government and flew to the country from the Waterkloof air force base.

They had an "official" invitation from that country's government and didn't have to apply for visas.

These South Africans were infantry-men and pilots. They had to provide military support to the military operations conducted by the Ivory Coast's government in the fight against armed rebels.

Even the South African military's handbook for training in the use of mortar bombs was taken by the South Africans to the Ivory Coast.

These facts were given by Richard Rouget, a French-born South African mercenary, read in court before sentence was passed.

Rouget, who lives in Hout Bay, pleaded guilty on a charge of contravening the Act on Overseas Military Support.

Rouget's court case, which took place very quickly, was sentenced to five years, suspended for five years, and a fine of R100 000.

He was arrested about a week ago at Johannesburg International Airport by a special Scorpions investigation team under of Neels de Lange, senior special investigative official and Dr Torie Pretorius, deputy director and head of priority prosecution of the national prosecution authority.

Rouget said in mitigation that he had been approached by a person known only as Massafra to recruit former defence force members in South Africa to take part in the civil war in the Ivory Coast from October last year to January this year.

The 12 would have earned about R50 000 a month for three months.

Rouget received R340 000 to buy equipment.

A man called Witherspoon was in charge of the South Africans and Rouget was their contact with the Ivory Coast government. The pilots would have helped train the Ivory Coast's pilots.

The South African infantry-men trained the Ivory Coast soldiers in the use of mortar bombs over a two to four-week period.

The South Africans were involved in attacks on towns and cities such as Bouake, Daloa and Vavao.

At one stage they were caught in an ambush with Rouget while supporting French soldiers. Three people were killed and ten injured, but it was unclear how many of them were South Africans.

Apparently there was dissatisfaction among the South Africans about Rouget's leadership and some of them returned to South Africa in December 2002.

Rouget subsequently requested the Ivory Coast government to ask the South Africans to leave. They left on a flight from Abidjan back to South Africa on January 17.

Magistrate Adriaan Bekker said in sentencing Rouget that his sentence should act as deterrent to other prospective mercenaries.

Apart from the fact that his conduct was contrary to the Act on Overseas Military Support, it was also contrary to article 198 (b) of the Constitution, which prohibits South African citizens from taking part in an armed overseas conflict without permission.

Rouget, a father of four, is in the process of divorcing his second wife. He is reportedly involved in safari undertakings in Mozambique and Burkina Faso.

He said in broken English after his sentencing: "Tell the people there's no money in the mercenary business".

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- Beeld