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Zim protesters arrested in SA
25/04/2008 16:00 - (SA)
Pretoria - Hundreds of Zimbabweans were arrested on Friday outside the Chinese embassy in Pretoria during a protest over a ship that attempted to offload weapons destined for Zimbabwe, police said.
"A total of 129 protesters were arrested (for) staging an illegal protest. The police asked them to disperse and they refused so, they were arrested," police spokesperson Inspector Malusi Msimang told AFP.
"After their arrest, immigration officers were invited to determine their status. Only 18 of them are legally living in South Africa. The rest are illegal immigrants," he said.
He could not confirm if those arrested would be deported or charged with illegal assembly.
The Chinese ship, the An Yue Jiang, has caused a storm of controversy when it tried last week to offload a cargo of arms in the port of Durban before being forced to abandon its plan after dock workers refused to offload it.
The Chinese government said on Thursday that the shipping company has now decided to bring back the boat.
The vessel was carrying three million rounds of assault rifle ammunition, 3 000 mortar rounds and 1 500 rocket-propelled grenades, according to its inventory, published by a South African newspaper.
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