By Gael Masengi
20 Congolese alleged coup-plotters arrested back in early
February of this year will remain in South African jail said a judge this past
Friday afternoon at Pretoria’s Magistrate Court.
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| accused suspects |
Emotions ran high inside the court room as Magistrate Solomon Mkubela delivered his
ruling against the defendants, he argued that the counsel for the accused could
not prove his clients are not a “flight risk” let alone they wouldn’t be a threat
to the lives of Congolese political authorities, include Joseph Kabila, if granted bail. The magistrate again said, the
suspects could easily leave South Africa with help from Congolese community, and also noted that none of the accused has a
permanent residence in South Africa, something which he believed can make their
escape from the country possible, therefore he ordered the “suspects” to remain
in custody until the beginning of their trial on May 23rd.
The men are accused of plotting to overthrow the
controversial regime of Joseph Kabila and physically eliminate him and his
aides, 19 suspects were arrested by a special division of the South African
police in the early hours of February the 6th while en route to the northern
province of Limpopo where the prosecutor alleged that a “training camp” was
set-up by a team of undercover police officers who pretended to be retired members
of S.A elite commando-turn mercenaries. Belonging to an unheard organization called the “Union of Nationalists for Renewal”, the men allegedly sent a “wish
list” asking for machine guns, radio, grenades and even surface-to-air missiles
and arranged for a training camp, prosecutor Shaun Abrahams told magistrate judge at previous court hearing. Accused
to be the “ring leader”, an astonished Etienne
Taratibu Kabila, eldest son of assassinated
President Laurent D. Kabila
eventually turned himself-in at Bellevue police station, Cape Town.
Saddened by the outcome of bail hearing, spouses of the “suspects”
broke in tears as they were making their way out of the court with a remarkable
dissatisfied crowd of supporters who are convinced that it’s a ‘clear political
decision’ not a legal one. They unanimously accuse President Jacob Zuma –closest ally of Joseph Kabila – of “deeply” interfering
on the judge’s decision, alleging that the Zuma administration will do anything
to secure its interests in the DR. Congo by satisfying a class of Congolese
political elites and overlooking the will of people, a thought many analysts of
the Great Lake region seem to favor.
“This is a political decision,
period!” said a fuming James Kamanda “We’ve
seen Oscar Pistorious shot and killed his girlfriend and he got bail, why does
it have to be different with the people who didn’t commit the act of killing
neither attempt?”
The magistrate has however insisted that his decision was
not finale; the accused can launch an appeal if they wish in a higher court
while waiting for the trial date.
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