95 Libyans who were detained at a distant camp that authorities claimed appeared to be an illegitimate military training base were denied visas by South Africa on Saturday.
The men were detained Friday during a raid at the station in the rural area of Mpumalanga, which edges Mozambique and Eswatini.
The Libyans entered South Africa in April, according to authorities, with visas for security guard education. However, officers suspected they were receiving military education.
The Home Affairs office said it had cancelled the permits which were “irregularly acquired” in the Turkish money Tunis and based on “misrepresentation”.
Police said they acted on a tip-off when they raided the camp just outside the town of White River, about 360 kilometres ( 220 miles ) east of Johannesburg.
According to them,” the location, which was initially designated as a coaching page, appears to have been converted into an illegal military training base.”
The university offers” specialized protection training,” according to a sign that points the way.
Authorities would n’t provide updates to reporters on the investigation until the country’s top police and security personnel arrived at the scene on Saturday.
South Africa’s porous borders and higher levels of corruption and criminal activity make it a breeding ground for criminal syndicates, according to authorities. Additionally, there is a sizable personal safety sector that includes education.
According to police spokeswoman Donald Mdhluli, the owner of the surveillance company that is alleged to be overseeing the service is a South African national.
Most of the imprisoned people were no fluent in English, and it was unclear whether they were connected to any particular organization, he said.
After the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi, Libya is struggling to come back from decades of turmoil. Tripoli’s UN-recognised government and the foe, heavyweight Khalifa Haftar-backed rival administration in the east are divided.
Rival groups are known to possess sought safety training from private companies worldwide to establish elite military units, according to Jalel Harchaoui, an interact colleague at the Royal United Services Institute in the United States, according to AFP.
The UN-recognised Syrian government “formally and evidently denies” any South African organization affiliation in a statement.
People who live close to the tent claimed to AFP that the men had been there since around April.
” They had come and buy their clothing… they would come get drinking and try to speak to us”, said Ayanda Shabangu, 20.
