Arrest of a South African official in Mozambique: briefing by Minister

Meeting report

FOREIGN AFFAIRS PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE
24 March 1998
ARREST OF SOUTH AFRICAN OFFICIAL IN MOZAMBIQUE: BRIEFING BY MINISTER

The Minister cautioned committee members that there were no new disclosures on the issue other than the information given through press statements. Upon hearing of Mr McBride's arrest, the department immediately send officials to investigate, including the deputy Director-General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and ordered an internal investigation into McBride's presence in Mozambique.

These investigations brought to light the following: Mr McBride paid a private visit to Mozambique . He applied for leave in a regular manner and his use of a diplomatic passport was not improper. The Department of Foreign Affairs had not been aware of Mr McBride's visit to Mozambique and subsequently was not aware of the purpose of his private visit to Mozambique.

There have been certain speculations surrounding Mr McBride's arrest that: McBride was involved in arms deals on behalf of East-Timorese groups; on behalf of criminal gangs in South Africa and on behalf of IRA or that he was engaged in a sinister attempt to overthrow the government. He himself has indicated that he attempted to gather proof that gun-running from Mozambique was still continuing and with such proof to attempt to bring an end to armed crimes in South Africa.

The minister stated that before the Mozambican authorities have decided whether there is enough evidence to warrant legal charges against McBride, speculation such as this is premature. What has emerged thus far from the investigations is that he was not acting for or in co-operation with any official agency or structure of government by visiting Mozambique.

The South African High Commission in Mozambique has obtained consular access to McBride and has been assured that he is in good health and that legal representation in Mozambique has been arranged. In the meantime, due to the gravity of the allegations against Mr McBride, it was decided to suspend him from duty and in conformity with the public service provisions and the Labour Relations Act, he was informed of this.

Mr McBride responded, stating that he understood why this procedure needed to be followed and he expressed his regret at any embarrassment caused to the South African government - the Minister quoted from a letter by McBride to this effect.

The Minister stated that he wished to put to rest the idea that the department or the government was in any stage involved in a cover-up. It took this long to respond to the matter due to the fact that for some time after the arrest, there was no consular access to Mr McBride to inform him of the intention to suspend him. Respecting the diplomatic relations between South Africa and Mozambique, the government never had any intention to "bulldoze" the Mozambican government. The government had to wait. When the opportunity came, the government did exactly what it had decided to do.

The South Africa government has emphasized that Mozambican sovereignty should be respected with regard to the criminal investigation and that the Mozambican law must take its due course. South Africa has assured the Mozambican authorities of its willingness to respond to any request for assistance which may be forthcoming. This offer was given personally by Minister Sydney Mufamadi to his Mozambican counterpart on his visit to Mozambique on 16 March 1998. Mr Manhange, the Mozambican Minister of Defence, Security and the Interior, saw Minister Mufamadi in Pretoria on 20 March 1998 and made a request for South African assistance with the investigation. It was then agreed that a South African Police Services team consisting of Director Errol Sehise, Superintendent Hein Prinsloo and Superintendent Lappies Labuschagne would go to Maputo on 24 March to assist the Mozambican authorities in their investigation.

The Minister assured the committee that the Department of Foreign Affairs are in constant contact with the Ministry of Safety and Security and would inform the committee of any new developments.

Questions by committee members:
Dr Geldenhuys (NP) expressed his gratitude to the minister for the briefing but it was the view of his party that it should have taken place much earlier. By not doing so, it hasd given rise to unfounded allegations. Given the fact that McBride is on suspension with full pay, is there a timeframe for the investigations and who will lead the investigations? Can the minister explain the involvement of an Assistant-Director of the Asian desk in the Department of Foreign Affairs in Mozambican affairs? How is it possible for a member of the Asian desk actually to travel to Mozambique on three occasions without this having any relation with his line-function responsibilities. And while being in Mozambique, did he inform the South African High Commissioner of his presence there? Could it be possible that he actually only used his position at Foreign Affairs as a cover-up for other activities? Mention was made of the possibility that the deputy-minister is trying to negotiate a transfer for Mr McBride to a South African jail until the date of his court case. If this is so, will other South African citizens while awaiting trail in other countries also be entitled to the same treatment? Dr Geldenhuys referred to the example of five South Africans in an Angolan jail.

The Minister responded that all investigations thus far proved that Mr McBride had paid a private visit to Mozambique and that he had applied for leave in a regular manner. The Department of Foreign Affairs had not been aware that he intended to visit Mozambique and had not been informed of the purpose of his private visit. The department was not in the habit of directing diplomats as to what to do with their private lives.

The Deputy-minister stated that there was no truth in the allegation concerning the transfer to a South African jail. Not under any circumstances would he or anybody else in the Department seek to obtain the transfer of an official who is being charged in another country on criminal offences.

Mr Colin Eglin (DP) mentioned that there were statements that Military Intelligence has handed information to SAPS regarding McBride activities inside South Africa. Is the minister in touch with MI, with NIA or the police to investigate McBride activities inside South Africa which could be linked to his activities outside South Africa?

The Minister replied that any concrete fact would be made known to the committee. The Department of Foreign Affairs was closely in touch with the Safety and Security ministry and there were no new facts.

Mr Skosana (IFP) asked if there was any information-sharing arrangement between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the NIA, because it would seem odd that a senior official would be repeatedly be crossing the boarder and eventually be caught in this state of affairs which embarrasses the country. If not so, we would need to look into that.

The Minister stated that the Safety and Security services have a structure referred to as NICOC, which is a coordinating body on which the Department of Foreign Affairs is represented. In this particular instance there was never any report placed by anybody before Nicoc. MI has stated quite clearly that although Mr McBride might have given the impression that he was acting on behalf of Intelligence, there is no evidence to confirm these statements by Mr McBride.

Dr. Appelgryn (NP): Mr McBride was arrested with large amounts of money on his person which are not allowed according to foreign exchange control measures.

Mr Padiachey ( NP): The South African High Commissioner in Mozambique have been involved in seeking legal representation for Mr McBride in Mozambique. Who is going to pay for this legal representation?

Minister’s reply: Mrs. McBride is arranging legal representation for her husband. The South African High Commission is only assisting in this process. We do not know if Mr McBride managed to cross the border with an illegal amount of money. If it is illegal, it is the responsibility of the officials on the border to make sure of such matters. It was presumably Mr McBride's money.

The meeting ended.