Mpumalanga Court Delays Case for 95 Libyan Nationals Over Translation Needs

• The case against 95 foreign nationals arrested at an alleged military camp has been postponed to allow the court time to find an Arab interpreter
• The Libyan men, accused of contravening the Immigration Act, appeared briefly before the White River Magistrate Court on 29 July 2024
• They were remanded in custody, and their next court appearance would be held at the same court on 5 August 2024

Zingisa Chirwa is an experienced Briefly News journalist based in Johannesburg, South Africa, who has covered Mpumalanga court proceedings and current affairs on the radio for over 15 years.

The case against 95 foreign nationals arrested at an alleged military camp in White River, Mpumalanga, has been postponed to allow the court time to bring an Arabic interpreter.

95 Libyan nationals appear in court

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The Libyan nationals appeared briefly before the White River Magistrate Court on 29 July 2024. After the validity of their visa applications was questioned, they were charged with contravening the Immigration Act. According to EWN, the accused’s legal representative asked for an adjournment to allow for the court to bring in an interpreter:

"I would request that we lay down for the services of an interpreter that is fluent in the Arabic language."

The suspects were remanded in custody and would return to the same court on 5 August 2024.

Netizens concerned by language barrier

Many social media users were worried about the language barrier between the suspects, authorities, and media.

@DonNebrenko asked:

"don’t we have translators?"

@MoloiLS joked:

"The clerk writing the names must be really angry."

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@Island_Tribe17 said:

"Lies! How can they be trained in military combat & security by a South African company without speaking English? They happily sold their clothes & shoes to locals just to buy booze & drugs but now they can't speak? They also partied with locals in taverns."

@MalcolmManqoba commented:

"I am sure u guys can't hear a thing, meaning you're aiding him to pass his message to his counter-part wherever they r... they too mighty right of media is a hindrance to the work of @SAPoliceService; they can't strategies without media exposing their strategy. Wat the point of dis interview."

@nowhatsyourna10 stated:

"SA is a fools playground 🤦🏾‍♂️"

Tightened oversight needed on security training facilities:

In related Briefly News, a security sector professional said there was a thin line between security and military training.

Brian Nkosi spoke to Briefly News following the Mpumalanga SAPS’ recent discovery of an alleged military training site.

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South Africans question security agencies after military camp discovery

He said that depending on the level of security training, some techniques utilised may be based on military-style combat.

Source: Briefly News