Nine foreign nationals arrested over an alleged attempt to travel to the Russia-Ukraine war have appeared in two Gauteng magistrates’ courts.
Five appeared in Kempton Park after arrests at OR Tambo International Airport, while four appeared in Johannesburg following arrests at a Bruma hotel, according to a government report published on 10 November citing the National Prosecuting Authority.
The NPA says the matter concerns alleged contraventions of the Regulation of Foreign Military Assistance Act 15 of 1998. The arrests were made on Sunday, 8 November, after an intelligence-driven investigation.
The report says the Kempton Park matter was postponed to Tuesday, 10 November, to allow the five accused to secure legal representation. The other four are scheduled to return on Thursday, 12 November, for the same purpose.
It does not establish an outcome from Tuesday’s scheduled return or report a finding of guilt. The accused remain presumed innocent.
This updates EBNewsDaily’s earlier arrest report, which did not establish completed court appearances.
Archive photograph of the South African flag, taken on 31 October 2008; not a court appearance, arrest or military scene. Photo: Chris Eason / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_South_Africa.jpg . Licence: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ . Cropped and resized for display.
