PETA THORNYCRAFT and LEE RONDGANGER

A MEMORIAL has been un-veiled at the Voortrekker Mon-ument in Pretoria to commem-orate the shooting down of twoAir Rhodesia passenger air-craft 34 years ago.

The granite and concretestructure, remembering theplanes shot down near Karibaairport by Zipra guerrillasloyal to nationalist leader,Joshua Nkomo, was unveiledon Saturday.

Major-General Gert Opper-man (retired), the managing di-rector of the Heritage Fund,which caretakes Afrikaner her-itage, said the memorial waserected by the Viscount memo-rial committee.

“There is no place where thepeople of the old (Rhodesian)dispensation can get closure.This is just a memorial andnothing more. There is no polit-ical intentions at all. It just af-fords people the opportunity toget closure,” he said yesterday.

After downing the firstplane in September 1978,Nkomo’s Zapu guerrillasslaughtered 10 survivors fromthe crash, while eight were ableto run away after seeing othersbludgeoned and bayoneted todeath in the wreckage of theburning aircraft.

Reports of the first AirRhodesia Viscount downed by aSAM 7 missile, and the killingof survivors, made headlinesaround the world. Soon after-wards Rhodesian securityforces bombed Nkomo’s loyal-ists in Lusaka, killing many, in-cluding women who Zapu saidwere merely learning to be sec-retaries.

Five months later, Nkomo’sforces shot down another AirRhodesia Viscount nearKariba. There were no sur-

vivors.Months after the second Vis-

count crash, Ian Smith’sRhodesians, and Nkomo andhis partner in the war, RobertMugabe, began negotiating aceasefire in London.

At the memorial service indappled shade under acaciatrees in the gardens near themonument, the old green andwhite Rhodesian flag flew,raised by Patrick Viljoen, amember of Rhodesia’s SpecialAir Service.

Former Rhodesian Broad-casting Corporation an-nouncer, Mike Westcott chairedthe service, saying: “At last wehave a memorial. The familiesof those who died had holes intheir hearts. Now they will notbe forgotten.”

About 200 people attendedthe service.

He said the SAS had foundand killed Nkomo’s loyalistswho fired the missile thatbrought down the second Vis-count.

Westcott repeatedly de-scribed those who shot downthe aircraft as “gooks” and“terrs”.

This caused visible embar-rassment to some members ofthe audience, though no onesaid anything publicly.

At the end of the ceremony,he described the shooting downof the Viscounts as an exampleof “man’s inhumanity to man”.

The opening lines of thededication on the granite read:

“This memorial it to com-memorate the lives of 107 holi-day makers and crew mur-dered in the world’s first 9/11styled attacks to destroy pas-senger aircraft in flight...”

In London, a row has brokenout over a motion by somepoliticians there on the Vis-counts. Six MPs signed an“Early Day Motion” marking

the anniversary and recallingwhat they said was “moral cow-ardice” by the then British gov-ernment which failed to “offi-cially condemn theseatrocities”.

Reverend Qobo Mayisa, theUK-based co-ordinator of theCouncil of Zimbabwean Chris-tian Leaders, reacted to theMPs’ statement with fury.

“I was in Lusaka recentlyand stayed with survivors ofthe Rhodesian bombings of therefugee camps in Zambia…

“This is so ill-advised andill-timed and opens up a lot of

old wounds at a time when weare working hard to promotenational healing and reconcili-ation.”

The Herald in Harare re-ported that former Zipra com-mander, Dumiso Dabengwa, de-scribed the MPs’ motion as aprovocation that would “openold wounds”.

“It shows what the new lead-ership of the Labour Party islike,” he said.

“When it happened it waswar time and they did not movea motion. What is it that makesthem move the motion this

time? We are very curious andI think they should come in theopen and say exactly what theywant.”

Dabengwa said they wereready to take the British headon with regards to the issue.

“They want tostart a condem-nation war andwe will takethem on becausewe have the evi-dence whereBritish racistsand specialforces did horri-ble things to us,”he said.

“Let themstart the issueand we will notkeep quiet.”

A n g l i c a nA r c h b i s h o p -E m e r i t u sDesmond Tutusent a message tothe memorialservice, in whichhe said he prayedfor the “balm ofGod’s comfort…on your wounded

souls…”The Department of Arts

and Culture said theVoortrekker Monumentgrounds were available to dif-ferent organisations and thegeneral public to establish me-morials.

YOGAS NAIR

UMHLANGA business-man, Thoshan Pan-day, has vowed tolaunch the “the civilclaim of the century” againstthe State after bribery chargesagainst him were provisionallywithdrawn in the Durban HighCourt yesterday.

Charges against his co-ac-cused, police Colonel NavinMadhoe, were also provision-ally withdrawn.

In 2011, the two were ac-cused of trying to bribe thenKwaZulu-Natal Hawks boss,Major-General Johan Booysen,with R2 million to quash inves-tigations into a R60m police ac-commodation tender scam dur-ing the 2010 World Cup.

Panday, describing himselfas a fighter and a survivor, toldthe Daily News yesterday thathe always knew he would walkfree.

“For the past one-and-a-halfyears, since I was arrested andcharged, life has been stressful

for myself and my family,” hesaid.

“Our lives were threatenedand I had to employ private,armed security guards to en-sure my family’s safety. I wasarrested on September 24, 2011and spent seven days in cus-tody. It was humiliating.”

Panday said his arrest wasalso carefully planned to coin-cide with his 40th birthday cel-ebrations, to publicly humiliatehim.

“But, despite all the difficulttimes, I knew the day wouldcome when I would walk free.The charges have been provi-sionally withdrawn. Whilesome may say that I should notcount my chickens before theyhatch, I know it’s over. There isno evidence to support the wildclaims against me.”

Panday said his arrest, and“character assassination” inthe media, had also had an im-

pact on his business image.He is involved in diamond

and petroleum mining, prop-erty development as well as im-ports and exports.

“All the negative publicityhas impacted on my businessand private life. But, fortu-nately, the majority have re-mained supportive and havestood by me since my arrest,”he said.

“When I received word thecharges were going to bedropped, I was elated. I thankedGod...”.

“This was an attempt byjealous and vindictive cops totake me down. They tried everytrick in the book to ruin me.But, it was not about me.

“They thought by closing inon me, they could discredit andexpose high ranking police offi-cers for alleged corruption. Butit did not work.

“Instead, justice has pre-

vailed. They now look likefools. If they had so much ofdope on me, why didn’t it resultin my conviction?”

He said another turningpoint in his case was engaginga new legal team.

“I decided I was not goingwith a knife to a gunfight. I en-gaged the best in the legal cir-

cles in KZN to fight my battle. Itseems like we were victorious.”

Booysen did not want tocomment on the charges beingwithdrawn against Panday, buta source close to the investiga-tion said he was surprised bythe decision of the Director ofPublic Prosecutions (DPP).

“In my view the evidencewas overwhelming. There wassufficient technical, circum-stantial and witness evidencefor a conviction,” the sourcesaid.

“Madhoe was arrested dur-ing a sting operation. This washeld after obtaining a Section252 authority more than a weekbefore the operation wentdown.”

Section 252 of the CriminalProcedure Act regulates thesetting of traps and undercoveroperations.

The source said there wasalso video footage of the al-

leged bribe money being placedin the boot of Booysen’s car atthe SAPS provincial headquar-ters in Bram Fischer (Ord-nance) Road.

“Fingerprints of one of theaccused was also found on adocument that was seized dur-ing the sting.”

Technical evidence was alsoobtained, he said.

“All this was in the docket. Itis beyond me how the chargeswere withdrawn.”

Panday denied the claims bythe police investigator: “Ifthere is all this evidence, whereis it? It never came up in court.My lawyer has never had sightof it.”

Panday said he was waitingon an opinion from his legalteam to pursue a major civilclaim. “This will be the civilclaim of the century... markmy word.”

Yesterday, state prosecutor

Wendy Greef did not give anyreasons why the charges hadbeen provisionally withdrawn.The ruling was made by JudgeRob Callum.

At the time the two werenabbed in September, 2011,Madhoe had allegedly givenBooysen a bag containingR1.3m in the parking lot of theSAPS provincial headquartersin Bram Fischer Road.

The balance of the R2m wasallegedly to be paid later.

Police said then that Booy-sen had been confronted on theday of the alleged bribe to dropan investigation of collusionand tender fraud between Mad-hoe and Panday.

It was alleged that in an ef-fort to thwart the probe, Booy-sen had been shown a dossierof photographs of suspectswho had died in the custody ofDurban’s Organised CrimeUnit in Cato Manor.

When Booysen refused toheed the threat, police said atthe time, the bribe was al-legedly offered.

• DAILY NEWS PAGE 3TUESDAY FEBRUARY 12 2013NEWS

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DIAMOND COLLECTION

THE FIRE DIAMOND

PLATINUM

IN

WEATHERDURBAN

TODAYPartly cloudy, late

showers (30%)

21°/27°

TOMORROWPartly cloudy,cloudy in theevening

21°/29°

TOMORROWMorning mist.Partly cloudy, lateshowers (30%)

17°/29°

TODAYPartly cloudy, late

showers (30%)

18°/27°

PIETERMARITZBURG

TEMPERATURES

RAINFALL

EmpangeniKokstadLadysmithNewcastlePort ShepstoneRichards BayUlundi

Min Max23 3113 2316 2818 2921 2623 3019 27

DBN PMBThis month 15.4 67.2Month average 113 117This year 180.6 180.2Year average 1 009 844

TIDESHIGH TIDE: Today 05.06, 17.16 Tomorrow 05.37, 17.46LOW TIDE: Today 11.08, 23.20Tomorrow 11.39, 23.50Sunset today 18.46Sunrise tomorrow 05.34Moonrise 07.37Moonset 19.56S COASTSea: ModerateWind: NE15kt Temp: 24°CN COASTSea: CalmWind: NE5kt-10kt Temp: 26°C

www.weathersa.co.za OR CALL 082 162

7-DAY REGIONAL FORECASTSS COAST: 082 231 1600N COAST: 082 231 1677

DRAKENSBERG: 082 231 1602

Panday in ‘suit of the century’Businessman excited as charges withdrawn

Air Rhodesiacrashes cast instone in Pretoria

FREE: Thoshan Panday outsidethe Durban High Courtyesterday after bribery chargeswere provisionally withdrawn.

CEREMONY: A memorial was unvelied to commemorate the shooting down of two Air Rhodesia passenger planes 34 years ago. CALL USDo you have anynews? Call us at 031 308 2124 or e-mail us atdnnews@inl.co.za

Subscribe @ R97.61p/m: 0800 20 47 11. Deliveries: 031 308 2022 (8am-6.30pm)

Two held forfake moneyAN ACCOUNTANT anda man believed to be amember of a syndicatedealing in counterfeitbank notes werearrested in Jabulani,Soweto, Gauteng policesaid today.

Warrant Officer KayMakhubela said police,acting on a tip-off, wentto a house in Jabulaniyesterday at 7pm andfound the two printingR100 notes amountingto R100 000.

The notes were amixture of new andolder notes.

They were arrestedand charged with fraudand possession ofcounterfeit money.

The accountant, awoman aged 29, and the32-year-old man, wereexpected to appear inthe Protea Magistrate’sCourt tomorrow. – Sapa

ANELISA KUBHEKA and SAPA

FOUR people are missing aftera severe thunderstorm in theMsinga area in northernKwaZulu-Natal last night.

Co-operative Governanceand Traditional Affairs Depart-ment spokesman, LennoxMabaso, said houses wereflooded when the uThukelaRiver burst its banks after therain started at about 6pm.

Mabaso said that yester-day’s storm had caused “mas-sive damage” in the Msingaarea.

“This happened last night,but we still have teams on theground assessing the damageand tallying reports of thenumber of people and housesaffected,” he said.

Co-operative GovernanceMEC Nomusa Dube had dis-patched disaster teams to helpaffected residents. Dube wasexpected to visit the area thismorning to assess the damage.

National Freedom Partypresident Zanele KaMagwaza-Msibi appealed for help, sayingshe would visit the area.

Speaking to the Daily Newstoday, Msinga municipal man-ager, Fanosi Sithole, said it wasstill too early to give any detailon the damage caused by thestorm and they had “people onthe ground” assessing thestorm damage.

Forecaster at the SouthAfrican Weather Service,Lucky Makhwedzha, said thestorm had been caused by a lowpressure system, which was anormal summer weather pat-tern.

Makhwedzha said furtherstorms were expected today butthese were unlikely to be as se-vere as yesterday’s thunder-storm.

He said places that wouldhave been hit hardest by yester-day’s bad weather were in theMidlands and the Drakensberg.

Fourmissingafterstorm