A state witness could not deny on Tuesday that the eight accused in the Equatorial Guinea coup trial may have been ignorant of the plot.
Cross-examined in the Pretoria Regional Court on Tuesday, James Kershaw (27), a former personal assistant of Simon Mann — one of the alleged planners of the coup — said he himself only found out about the alleged coup two days before the group flew out of South Africa.
The eight men before court — Raymond Stanley Archer, Victor Dracula, Louis du Preez, Errol Harris, Mazanga Kashama, Neves Tomas Matias, Simon Morris Witherspoon and Hendrik Jacobus Hamman — have pleaded not guilty to a charge of contravening the Foreign Military Assistance Act.
They were among a group arrested in March 2004 when they landed at Harare International Airport, allegedly to refuel and pick up military equipment on their way to join other suspected mercenaries arrested in Equatorial Guinea at about the same time.
Defence advocate Margie Victor, noting that Kershaw did not know about the plot until just days beforehand, despite being part of Mann’s ”inner circle”, asked if he could deny that the accused were also ignorant of it.
”I cannot,” he said.
Kershaw said that a coup was not discussed at any meeting he attended.
He did, however, type contracts for the group to provide security to a mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
He also heard Mann and Nick du Toit — another alleged planner of the coup — talk about mining in the DRC on several occasions.
When they were arrested in Zimbabwe the group repeatedly said they were on their way to the DRC to guard a mine.
Alwyn Griebenow, for Du Preez and Witherspoon, took a different approach.
He asked Kershaw if he had told the men beforehand that the coup had the approval of the South Africa government.
He pointed to statements by state witnesses who have not testified yet who said Kershaw and Mann had told the group that they had approval for the operation.
”Can you confirm whether Mann told Simon Witherspoon that the operation was approved at the highest level and that [President Thabo] Mbeki was looking forward to meeting the new leader when he is put in place?”
Kershaw said he could not confirm such a discussion.
He also denied that he and Mann told the group the South African National Prosecuting Authority and its head, advocate Bulelani Ngcuka, knew of and approved the plot beforehand.
Another state witness started to testify before the trial was adjourned for the day.
Crause Steyl told the court how he met and worked with Mann during mercenary company Executive Outcomes’ operations in Angola.
Steyl turned state witness after earlier pleading guilty under a plea bargain to involvement in a coup attempt.
He had supplied the coup plotters with men and air assistance and was involved in a plot to kidnap the Equatorial Guinean president and fly in a ”replacement”.
The trial continues on Wednesday. — Sapa