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By Caryn Dolley

THE University of Cape Town student accused of attempting a hijacking of an SAA plane from Cape Town International, using a hypodermic syringe as a weapon, claims he was motivated by personal fear.

Tinashe Rioga, 21, stated in an affidavit to the Bellville Magistrate's Court in support of an application for R3 000 bail yesterday that he had received threatening text messages a week before the incident on June 17.

And he feared the sender, unknown to him, would be waiting at the airport in Johannesburg where the SAA plane was heading.

But the investigating officer Lungisile Manyana opposed bail, saying: "Uppermost in all our minds was the September 11 attack. Everyone was emotional at the airport, running here and there."

Wearing two long-sleeved tops and a black leather jacket, the third-year information technology student at the University of Cape Town looked down as prosecutor Wimpy Els questioned Manyana.

Manyana said he had interviewed Rioga a few hours after his arrest on June 17.

"When I asked why he'd try to hijack the plane, he said he'd received some threatening SMSes," he said.

Rioga had received the SMSes on June 10, a week before the incident occurred.

"He didn't report the SMSes to the police. He said after thinking about the messages during that week before the flight, he thought the person or persons who had sent the SMSes may be waiting for him in Johannesburg.

Therefore he had wanted to divert the plane to Maputo, Mozambique so he could land where he'd be safe," said Manyana.

He said Rioga did not know who had sent the SMSes, which had referred to Rioga as "mother f....r".

Manyana said Nicole Scott, a crew member on flight SA 322, said in a statement she had seen Rioga walking towards the cockpit of the plane when it was about 30 minutes into the flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg.

"She alleges the accused grabbed her with one hand and took out the syringe with the other," he said.

The needle was about 3cm long and the syringe 5cm.

"The accused allegedly ordered Scott to open the door of the cockpit. She quoted him as repeatedly shouting: 'You must open this f....g door'.

"She alleged the accused said if she didn't open the door, he'd kill her.

"He was holding her with one arm around her neck and had the syringe pointing at her eyes," said Manyana.

Two passengers on the plane overpowered and handcuffed Rioga and the plane returned to Cape Town.

According to Manyana, Rioga said he had been carrying the hypodermic syringe because "he wanted to inject himself with flu medicine", but no medication had been found on Rioga's person or in his luggage.

He said they were still awaiting the outcome of forensic tests of the syringe's contents.

Els said the state would oppose the R3 000 bail proposed by Rioga's lawyer, Josua Greeff.

When asked by Els what he felt about the bail proposal, Manyana was adamant in opposing it.

"(Rioga) lived in a Mowbray flat, doesn't possess any property in SA, is unmarried, unemployed, and has a Zimbabwean banking card. There's nothing to keep him in South Africa," he said.

Manyana has Rioga's passport, which was confiscated from him.

Rioga, a Zimbabwean national in South Africa on a study permit, had in 2004 twice flown to the US and once to Zimbabwe, and last year twice to the US and once to Zimbabwe.

Manyana said Rioga's brothers and sisters had paid for the air tickets.

Earlier in the proceedings, Greeff read out Rioga's affidavit. It said Rioga would plead not guilty to possible charges of assault with intent to do grievous bodily harm and of contravening aviation regulations by attempting to seize an aircraft.

The state alleges the matter is a Schedule 6 offence under the Criminal Procedure Act, meaning the onus is on the accused to convince the court of exceptional circumstances for bail to be granted.

"I did not make any threats or act violently after my arrest," the affidavit said. "I have no pending cases, outstanding warrants or previous convictions.

My conduct at UCT was exemplary and I'm still in the position to study and complete the academic year if granted bail. My whole livelihood and all my achievements are tied up in Cape Town, at the university."

The bail application was postponed to Monday, when Greeff is to cross-examine Manyana - Cape Times
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