Ugandan detainees back in SA

2008-08-29 12:39

Johannesburg - The two South African men who had been held for questioning for two weeks in Uganda returned to South Africa on Friday morning, their lawyer Yousha Tayob said.

Mufti Hussain Bhayat, of Lenasia, and Haroon Saley of Azaadville, gave the media waiting at OR Tambo International Airport on Friday morning the slip by leaving through a side entrance.

Tayob said that by 11:30 the men were already on their way home to spend time with their families.

"They are both in high spirits and happy to be back," said Tayob. He would probably meet with the two sometime on the weekend to decide what to do next.

Tayob said the two were now considered persona non grata in Uganda. They had been given their passports on the flight, which Tayob said was a "good sign". Usually the pilot kept the passports of deportees.

It was still not clear why the two were held and questioned in Kampala. The two, who work for Islamic humanitarian organisation Crescent of Hope, were detained on a stopover between Kenya and South Africa.

- SAPA