NATIONAL ASSEMBLY  

QUESTION NO. 3

FOR WRITTEN REPLY  

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 21 MAY 2004

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO: 1-2004)

Mr D H M Gibson (DA) to ask the Minister for Intelligence: 

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Whether his department had any knowledge that there were suspected  mercenaries on board an aircraft destined for Zimbabwe that departed on 4 March 2004 from Wonderboom Airport; if not, why did they communicate with the Zimbabwean government regarding this aircraft; if so, why did they not alert other security agencies to impound the plane before it left South Africa; whether his department consulted with (a) the President and/or (b) any other specified member of the Government regarding the advisability of preventing the aircraft from departing from South Africa; if not, (i) why not and (ii) who took this decision; if so, (aa) who was consulted and (bb) what was the response of each such person;  whether his department has co-operated or is currently co-operating with its counterparts in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea regarding the alleged South African mercenaries under arrest in those countries; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details? 

REPLY:   

The questions deal with matters of National Security and could expose classified information on the operations of the Intelligence Services.  The elaborate reply has been sent to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence (JSCI).   

For further clarity, the member is kindly referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence.