(NEWZIMBABWE) SA denies Zimbabwe suspect 'renditions'

SA denies Zimbabwe suspect 'renditions'
23/10/2011 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter

SOUTH Africa’s serious crimes investigations unit, the Hawks, has denied handing over criminal suspects to Zimbabwe to die.

The Sunday Times newspaper claimed in a report that the Hawks conducted illegal "renditions" with their Zimbabwean counterparts - by arresting "suspects" and illegally sending them across the border. Three suspects later died at the hand of Zimbabwean police, the paper claimed.

But Hawks spokesman McIntosh Polela said on Sunday: "At no point did any of our members render people to Zimbabwe.”

He confirms, however, that the men named by the paper had been deported as illegal immigrants, adding: "If they do not have papers, we hand them over to immigration authorities at Beitbridge. We don't have a mandate to be checking up on everybody that is deported.”
Rendition is the illegal kidnapping and transfer of prisoner from one country to another.

The Sunday Times described the case of Zimbabwean, Witness Ndeya, 26. He was suspected of shooting a police officer before fleeing to South Africa where he was arrested and reportedly renditioned by the Hawks, and then murdered, apparently by Zimbabwean police.

A few days later, Zimbabwean police told the family that “he was killed by other police officers", according to another man who was arrested with him and later released.

Ndeya's death certificate confirmed he died at "Hippo Valley Farm" in Bulawayo on November 20, with the cause of death listed as "multiple gunshot wounds".
South African authorities insist Ndeya and his companions were "all arrested as illegal immigrants" and were "deported ".

Polela, said: "At no point did we simply hand over people to authorities without [an immigration official present], because that would constitute rendition."

The alleged incident is a contravention of the Immigration Act. It also runs contrary to a "special dispensation" by the government at the time that prevented Zimbabweans from being deported from South Africa.
Zimbabwean police spokesman Oliver Mandipaka said he "can't confirm or deny that Ndeya was arrested or killed".

The Sunday Times said it was aware of several other individuals who have also been renditioned to Zimbabwe.