South African Man Arrested In Connection to Zimbabwe Bomb Threat Case Claims Unfair Arrest
South African Man Arrested In Connection to Zimbabwe Bomb Threat Case Claims Unfair Arrest– A man, aged 25, from eManzimtoti in Durban, South Africa, recently recounted being arrested in Zimbabwe for allegedly sending a bomb threat.
On March 1, Cuan Reed Govender, a general manager for a Zimbabwean company who works remotely, was apprehended at the boarding gates of Robert Mugabe International Airport.
Govender was taken aback when the airport scanners detected five rounds of live ammunition in his bag, of which he claimed to be unaware.
Govender gave his first interview after the incident, revealing that he visited Zimbabwe for work for the first time. He stressed that the ammunition wasn’t detected by the scanners in South Africa, so he was taken aback when the Zimbabwean airport’s scanners discovered the bullets. He immediately cooperated with the authorities, admitting his mistake and clarifying that it was unintentional.
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Recalling his experience, Govender stated that the trip to Zimbabwe was his first time on an airplane, and he was scheduled to be there for work for a week. He claimed he had no idea that one of the compartments in his suitcase contained bullets. When the scanner didn’t detect the bullets at South Africa’s airport, he was taken aback when they were discovered in Zimbabwe. After his arrest, he cooperated with the officials and accepted that it was his mistake. He was aware of the repercussions and was taken into custody in a holding cell.
Govender pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of ammunition after spending a night in custody and appearing in the Harare Magistrate’s Court on March 2.
Govender was unaware that he was accused by Zimbabwean authorities of sending a bomb threat email under the name ‘John Doe’ on March 1, which resulted in the temporary closure of Victoria Falls International Airport.
Govender was informed of the accusations linking him to the email during the weekend he spent in prison awaiting sentencing, which came as a shock as it was not mentioned during the court proceedings. Even though he represented himself on Monday and admitted to possessing ammunition, he was not confronted about the email.
“I spent the weekend in prison, waiting for the Monday court appearance for sentencing. Some people visited me during this time and informed me about the accusations of sending a bomb threat. I was taken aback as this was not brought up during the court proceedings, and I was confused about the situation,” Govender stated.
On Monday, Govender represented himself in court and accepted complete responsibility for possessing the bullets. He admitted that they belonged to him and that it was an unintentional mistake.
Afterward, he was given two options, either to pay a fine of $300 (R5,700) or serve a four-month sentence in prison. Govender chose to pay the fine, but he was detained in prison until March 6, Wednesday.
Eventually, Govender was detained and later deported. However, it was quite surprising that he was neither interviewed nor questioned about the bomb threat, even after his release.
Although the Zimbabwean authorities widely circulated Govender’s name on social media regarding the incident and linking him to the case, no evidence was presented to prove his connection to the email sender, identified as John Doe.
Govender stated, “The unfounded allegations delayed my departure and will leave an impact on my life. I believe it was due to government negligence in carrying out proper investigations. There was no correlation between me and the accusations, but the authorities used me as a scapegoat to enhance their image. Being an outsider in their country, blaming me without any substantial evidence or conducting a comprehensive inquiry was an easy approach. They were unable to verify any connection between John Doe, the email sender, and myself.”
-Afrogazette-
