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: 2008-04-18 Time: 00:00:00 Posted By: Jan
Both the SA Police Services (SAPS) and the SA Revenue Services (SARS) were on Thursday sending their top public relations officers to Durban to deal with media enquiries surrounding a Chinese ship carrying weapons destined for Zimbabwe.
Both national police spokesperson Captain Dennis Adriao and Sars spokesperson Adrian Lackay told Sapa that they were on their way to Durban and would comment on the ship once in Durban.
Enquiries over the contents of a cargo of arms aboard the An Yue Jiang have sparked a media frenzy, however various government departments have declined to comment over the ship and its cargo.
Noseweek editor Martin Welz told Sapa on Wednesday that “the cargo ship was openly delivering a containment of arms for Zimbabwe.”
He said that he had copies of all the documents, including the bill of lading and a packing list.
The controversial cargo packed into 3 080 cases includes three million rounds of 7,62mm bullets (used in the AK47 assault rifle), 69 Rocket Propelled Grenades as well as mortar bombs and tubes.
Welz said: “It’s very detailed and even has the phone numbers.”
Questions over when the ship was set to dock have also arisen. Sapa learnt that the ship was due to dock at 8am at the Durban Container Terminal on Thursday morning, but sources told Sapa that its schedule berthing had been cancelled.
Spokesperson for the Durban Container Terminal, Lunga Ngcobo, said she could not immediately provide details on when the ship was due to dock.
She referred enquiries to Transnet.
Transnet spokesperson John Dludlu said on Wednesday in a statement that the ship had been cleared to dock in Durban’s harbour.
However he declined to comment on the ship’s cargo or when it would dock in Durban’s port.
Attempts to contact Dludlu on Thursday were unsuccessful.
A number of police sources said they had been instructed not to talk to the media.
Asked whether officers had received such an instruction not to talk to the media, Adriao, said: “Not at all. They can talk to any one as long as they talk in their sphere of influence.”
The ship’s master, who on Wednesday identified himself as Captain Sunaijun, on Thursday declined to talk to Sapa.
A controller at the Cape Town radio control through whom the call was made, said: “Are you from the media? He (Captain Sunaijun) doesn’t want to take any more calls from reporters.”
On Wednesday Sunaijun told Sapa that there was “no dangerous cargo on general cargo”.
Asked if there was cargo destined for Zimbabwe, he confirmed there was.
Wang Kun Hui, the managing director for the Cosren Shipping Agency said he was not sure when the ship would dock in Durban’s harbour.
Earlier on in Cape Town, government communications head Themba Maseko said the country could not stop the shipment from getting to its destination as it had to be seen to be “treading very carefully” in its relations with Zimbabwe, given the complexity of facilitating talks between the Movement for Democratic Change and Zanu-PF.
The Democratic Alliance defence spokesperson Rafeek Shah said the government’s approval to allow the arms to be shipped was “the surest sign yet that government has completely lost the plot on the Zimbabwe issue”.
He said: “The government is also legally obliged to act. According to the National Conventional Arms Control Act, anyone who conveys, freights, or transfers conventional weapons is required to apply for a conveyance permit, and permits must only be granted by the National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC) after considering how those weapons will be used.”
Attempts to determine whether the conveyance permit had been issued by the NCACC were unsuccessful.
Provincial and Local Government minister Sydney Mufamadi heads the NCACC and his spokesperson Zandile Ratsitanga could not be reached for comment. – Sapa
Source: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=nw20080417132922611C779920