South African helicopter pilot Brent Smyth was acquitted of immigration transgressions in a Harare court on Thursday and was flying back to South Africa, his fiancée, Drieksie Janse van Rensburg, said. Van Rensburg said she received an SMS from Smyth saying: ”I’m a free man, spread the word, I’m coming home.”
Should South African pilot Brent Smyth be convicted of immigration transgressions in Zimbabwe, he may have to pay a fine of only R53, his employer, Wessel van den Bergh, said on Wednesday. Briefing the media, ATS Helicopters CEO Van den Bergh said according to Smyth a fine of Z 000 — roughly R53 — was ”the worst-case scenario”.
South African helicopter pilot Brent Smyth, who was arrested in Zimbabwe last week, will appear again in court on Thursday, said his employer ATS aviation services. Smyth arrived at the court in Harare on Tuesday but was sent away after the magistrate said he needed two days to prepare his findings.
Zimbabwe police have pressed fraud charges related to a hotel booking against a Johannesburg-based pilot arrested while flying Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai to election rallies, the party said on Wednesday. Zimbabwe’s police were not able to confirm the arrest.
A war of words has erupted ahead of election day in Zimbabwe this Saturday, with the opposition saying the government has already rigged the vote. These elections were ”never meant to be an even playing field”, said Nkosana Moyo, coordinator of presidential hopeful Simba Makoni’s campaign, in Johannesburg on Wednesday.
Zimbabwe’s justice minister has dismissed as ”utter rubbish” claims by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) that the political playing field is uneven ahead of national polls. Zimbabweans are preparing to elect a new president, Parliament and local councillors on March 29, but the MDC has expressed fears of vote rigging.