S Africa police arrest Libyans at 'illegal' military camp

By Wedaeli Chibelushi, JOHANNESBURG  South Africa 

Ninety-five Libyan nationals have been arrested on suspicion of receiving training at an "illegal" military camp in South Africa, police have said.

Officers raided the farm in White River - a small town in the northern province of Mpumalanga - on Friday.

They said they found military tents, licenced firearms and other military equipment.

Cannabis and cocaine were also found at the camp, the police said.

Officers conducted the raid after receiving intelligence on Wednesday.

According to national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe, the Libyans allegedly "misrepresented themselves" on their visa applications by saying they would be training as security guards.

The camp was initially registered as a training site for a private security company but it appears to have been converted, a second police spokesperson, Donald Mdhluli, was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

Mr Mdhluli said the owner of the security company was a South African national and that the police were investigating if he had permission to run the site as a military-style camp.

Along with immigration offences, the Libyans are suspected of other "serious crimes" as the local community has made multiple complaints of rape, Mr Mdhluli said.

"We take any threat to the security and stability of our province and country very seriously," police commissioner Zeph Mkhwanazi was quoted as saying in a police statement.

However, the same statement assured the public that there was "no immediate threat to community safety".

South Africa's high crime rates have given rise to a huge private security industry.

In the last decade security firms increased by more than 40%, according to a Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority (PSIRA) report.

It is common for foreign nationals to find work with these companies.

Libya has suffered chronic insecurity since the overthrow of its autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.

Analysts say that in the past, factions in Libya have recruited foot soldiers from sub-Saharan Africa - and Friday's developments raise serious questions about South Africa's border security.

The 95 Libyan nationals have been taken into custody and are being questioned by the relevant authorities.

The police have not said who the detainees might have been receiving military training from.