SA intelligence mum on spy
06/02/2005 14:49  - (SA)  

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Johannesburg - The ministry of intelligence is reacting with sealed lips to the fate of its agent, operating under the false name of Andrew Brown, who is being held in Zimbabwe.

The Sunday Times reported that a 42-year-old Zimbabwean banker, Tendai Matambanadzo said he was given thousands of US dollars for information on likely successors for President Robert Mugabe.

He said he had worked with a spy known to him as Andrew Brown who had told him he was a risk management consultant, a 48-year-old white man who lived in a suburb east of Pretoria.

When asked what was being done to secure Brown's release, or see to his welfare, intelligence ministry spokesperson Lorna Daniels said her office was not commenting.

"Not at all - that's as much as I can say," she said.

Department of foreign affairs spokesperson Ronnie Mamoepa would only refer the matter to the intelligence ministry.

According to the Sunday Times, the newspaper knew his true name, but were informed by a spokesperson for the ministry of intelligence that it was illegal to publish the name.

Matambanadzo said he met Brown at several hotels in Zimbabwe over the three years since he met him in 2001. He said Brown was also dressed casually and once even took him to his house near Pretoria where they talked about sports and rugby.

Matambanadzo said he used to get a call just saying that Andrew was in Harare and could they meet.

He also claimed that he gave some of the money he was paid for information back to Brown who allegedly had financial problems.

"He said he had personal problems with alimony and child support," Matambanadzo said.

"I actually hand(ed) money (back) to him."

Matambanadzo and two others, Zanu-PF external affairs director Itai Marchi and diplomat Godfrey Dzvairo, were arrested in December after Brown was arrested. He named them and three others as part of his "spy ring".

Brown was being held at an undisclosed location in Zimbabwe.

Matambanadzo claimed that he did not know he was involved in espionage.

"But there were never any allegations that we stole documents," he told Sunday Times.

"We broke no law."

The attorney representing Matambanadzo and the other two said nothing in their confessions involved a state secret or a stolen document.

Selby Hwacha said "no offence was committed".

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