WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2008-04-03 Time: 00:00:00 Posted By: Jan
South African helicopter pilot Brent Smyth, who was recently arrested in Zimbabwe, was hoping to be allowed to return home on Thursday.
Smyth, 31, was arrested last Tuesday and is facing immigration transgression charges.
“We understand that the worst-case scenario is that he will be fined ZIM$200 000, which amounts to about R53,” said Wessel van den Bergh, chief executive of ATS Aviation Services, the company employing Smyth.
Smyth’s mother, Danielle, and girlfriend, Drieksie Janse van Rensburg, speaking at a Press conference at Grand Central Airport in Midrand on Wednesday, said they had been in touch with him and he was sounding “upbeat and positive”.
| ‘He was arrested and taken to Harare Central Prison, where he was interrogated for two days’ |
At the time of his arrest, Smyth had been booked to fly Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai to political rallies ahead of the country’s elections, and was scheduled to return home this afternoon.
Van den Bergh said: “He was detained and manhandled. He was arrested and taken to Harare Central Prison, where he was interrogated for two days.”
It later emerged that Smyth was to be charged with fraud and overstaying in the country.
“The fraud related to his hotel booking, which had been done in someone else’s name, which is a common practice in an industry where hotel bookings are done by someone else,” he explained, adding that this charge had been dropped when Smyth’s lawyer, Innocent Chagonda, lodged an application for his release.
The overstay had occurred because Smyth had been arrested before he could apply for an extension of the permit allowing him to fly in Zimbabwe.
| ‘This has been a very stressful time’ |
Smyth was released into the custody of his lawyer on Monday and was staying at the South African consulate in Harare.
He appeared in court on Tuesday afternoon, and was ordered to return to court this morning when the judge would give the verdict he had needed two days to write.
“We’ve spoken to Chagonda and it appears that the rule of law does not always apply in Zimbabwe. There is a possibility that they will deport Brent and then we will need to send someone else to fetch the helicopter on his release,” Van den Bergh said.
He said while it was a concern that a helicopter “worth over R3-million has been idle on the ground for two weeks”, ATS Aviation Services had been focusing all energy and attention on securing Smyth’s safe release and return home.
Danielle said: “This has been a very stressful time.
“We’re grateful he is out of jail and we’re hoping that those with power will make the right decision and let him go.”
Janse van Rensburg said she had been in contact with Smyth and while he had on occasion sounded close to tears, he now sounded optimistic and was hoping to come home.
“We are hoping those with power will let him go.”