South African government to produce 95 Libyans charged with immigration violations in local court

By Hassan Isilow

JOHANNESBURG (AA) – South Africa's National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) confirmed Monday that the 95 Libyan nationals arrested last Friday will appear in a local court in Mpumalanga province on charges of violating the country's immigration act.

"At this point, the prosecution has decided to prosecute all 95 Libyans on a charge of misrepresentation in their visa applications," NPA spokesperson in Mpumalanga province, Monica Nyuswa, told reporters.

"When they appear today, they will be charged, and the matter will be postponed for further investigation," she said, adding that further investigations will determine whether additional charges can be added.

The Libyans were apprehended last Friday during a police raid on a suspected "secret military camp" in White River, a holiday town in the northeastern Mpumalanga province.

The camp contained military training equipment and drugs, police claimed.

The Home Affairs Department cancelled the Libyan nations' visas on Saturday, saying they obtained the visas irregularly in Tunisia through misrepresentation and are now considering their deportation as one of the options.

The Libyans are said to have entered South Africa in April on study permits to become security guards, but instead allegedly received military training. They were scheduled to return home in December.