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'No money in this business'
01/08/2003
21:54 - (SA)
Erika Gibson
Johannesburg - Former members of the South African Defence
Force were hired as mercenaries for the Ivory Coast government
and flew to the country from the Waterkloof air force base.
They had an "official" invitation from that country's
government and didn't have to apply for visas.
These South Africans were infantry-men and pilots. They had
to provide military support to the military operations
conducted by the Ivory Coast's government in the fight against
armed rebels.
Even the South African military's handbook for training in
the use of mortar bombs was taken by the South Africans to the
Ivory Coast.
These facts were given by Richard Rouget, a French-born
South African mercenary, read in court before sentence was
passed.
Rouget, who lives in Hout Bay, pleaded guilty on a charge
of contravening the Act on Overseas Military Support.
Rouget's court case, which took place very quickly, was
sentenced to five years, suspended for five years, and a fine
of R100 000.
He was arrested about a week ago at Johannesburg
International Airport by a special Scorpions investigation
team under of Neels de Lange, senior special investigative
official and Dr Torie Pretorius, deputy director and head of
priority prosecution of the national prosecution authority.
Rouget said in mitigation that he had been approached by a
person known only as Massafra to recruit former defence force
members in South Africa to take part in the civil war in the
Ivory Coast from October last year to January this year.
The 12 would have earned about R50 000 a month for
three months.
Rouget received R340 000 to buy equipment.
A man called Witherspoon was in charge of the South
Africans and Rouget was their contact with the Ivory Coast
government. The pilots would have helped train the Ivory
Coast's pilots.
The South African infantry-men trained the Ivory Coast
soldiers in the use of mortar bombs over a two to four-week
period.
The South Africans were involved in attacks on towns and
cities such as Bouake, Daloa and Vavao.
At one stage they were caught in an ambush with Rouget
while supporting French soldiers. Three people were killed and
ten injured, but it was unclear how many of them were South
Africans.
Apparently there was dissatisfaction among the South
Africans about Rouget's leadership and some of them returned
to South Africa in December 2002.
Rouget subsequently requested the Ivory Coast government to
ask the South Africans to leave. They left on a flight from
Abidjan back to South Africa on January 17.
Magistrate Adriaan Bekker said in sentencing Rouget that
his sentence should act as deterrent to other prospective
mercenaries.
Apart from the fact that his conduct was contrary to the
Act on Overseas Military Support, it was also contrary to
article 198 (b) of the Constitution, which prohibits South
African citizens from taking part in an armed overseas
conflict without permission.
Rouget, a father of four, is in the process of divorcing
his second wife. He is reportedly involved in safari
undertakings in Mozambique and Burkina Faso.
He said in broken English after his sentencing: "Tell the
people there's no money in the mercenary business".
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