SA nationals found with 'Sky equipment' due in court

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THREE South African nationals, arrested in Zimbabwe at the weekend for allegedly being in possession of "illegal transmitting equipment" belonging to British television station Sky, are due to appear in court on Thursday.

Lawyer Tawengwa Hara said Wednesday they were detained at a roadblock near the southern town of Gwanda, and he located them on Tuesday in police cells in the western city of Bulawayo.

The three have told police they had been asked to collect the equipment from Bulawayo and return it to South Africa.

Hara declined to name them, but said they were being charged under telecommunications legislation for "being in possession of equipment believed to be used for broadcasting without a licence."

"It's a small matter, they didn't know what was in the boxes," he said. "It's a fineable offence. I expect them to plead guilty and to pay a fine. There is no proof they were broadcasting."

He said the three, all men, had no complaints against their treatment by police. The equipment - which includes camp chairs and cooler boxes - is being itemized by government officials.

Initial reports in the state media claimed the three had tried to bribe police at the road block, but Hara said he was not aware of the allegation. If it was raised, they would deny it.

Also on Thursday, Bulawayo resident Craig Eddy is due to appear on similar charges, after police learned the equipment had been stored in a workshop in his factory in Bulawayo before being collected.

Lawyer Tim Cherry said Eddy had allowed an acquaintance to store the equipment, which was all in closed boxes, and was unaware what was inside them. He was in South Africa last week when he was sent a text message by a friend and asked if the boxes could be collected, and agreed.

A fifth person, Bulawayo resident Rita Ruf, was also arrested for being in possession of a generator which was believed to be part of the transmission equipment, but was released without charge on Tuesday, Cherry said.

The incident follows a crackdown on foreign journalists accused of visiting Zimbabwe and covering the election in March "illegally," without official approval.

Four were arrested over the period and held in prison for several days before being released after paying fines for minor offences. - Sapa-dpa
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