'Mbeki plot': Man in court

2003-11-24 21:23

Pretoria - A man appeared in Pretoria regional court on Monday in connection with a plot to oust or kill President Thabo Mbeki.

Senior prosecutor Reuben Ligaraba said the charge sheet against Uranin Vladimir Solomon, 41, listed an allegation of conspiracy or incitement in terms of the Riotous Assemblies Act.

This charge, he said, apparently related to the alleged plot.

Also listed were charges of fraud and contraventions of legislation pertaining to births and deaths registration, identity documents, and passports and travel documents.

The charges were not put to Solomon, and the court ordered he be remanded until his next appearance on Friday.

National police spokesperson Phuti Setati declined to confirm the man's name, the charges being investigated against him, nor the reason for his arrest in Cape Town at the weekend.

He would say only that the man used several aliases, and police were still trying to establish his true identity.

Asked whether the investigation was linked to a reported plot against Mbeki, Setati said: "I don't have an idea about that plot".

The Sunday Times reported that Solomon, also known as Bheki Jacobs, was suspected of compiling a dossier containing allegations of a plot to oust or kill Mbeki.

According to ThisDay newspaper, the plot would have involved tampering with the presidential jet.

The dossier reportedly alleges top politicians and officials involved in a power struggle wanted to ensure their chosen candidate ran the country after Mbeki.

- SAPA