Friday, May 15, 2009

THE CASE AGAINST PROPHET -- WHAT THE WORLD MEDIA IS SAYING

CITIZEN ALERT

TUESDAY, MAY 5, 2009

South African man held in Mozambique for sabotage







Tell the world on hellopeter.com
SA man held in Mozambique for sabotage 05/05/2009 15:49 - (SA)


Maputo - Four foreign nationals, including a South African, have been arrested for allegedly trying to sabotage a hydro-electric dam, Mozambique police said on Tuesday.
Pedro Cossa, national police spokesperson, told reporters in Maputo at a weekly briefing that a South African, a Botswanan, a German and a Portuguese national were arrested.
The four had allegedly attempted to put a corrosive chemical in the turbines of the Cahora Bassa hydro-electric dam on the Zambezi River.
Cossa said police had confiscated 500kg of the yet to be identified corrosive substance.
"The suspects were caught putting the substance into the dam's turbines," said Cossa.
No further details were given and investigations were underway.
He did not reveal the names of those detained.
Cahora Bassa, which produces 2 075MW short of its potential of 14 000MW of power is touted as one of the solutions to the power crisis in the Southern African Development Community region.
The dam supplies power to South Africa, Mozambique and Malawi. There are plans to connect Botswana, Tanzania and Swaziland.
The dam was built by the colonial Portuguese government in 1974 and in November 2007, ownership of the dam was transferred from Portuguese control to the Mozambican government.
- SAPA

FROM BBC 5TH MAY 2009

Mozambique arrests 'dam plotters'

Map

Four people who were plotting to sabotage one of the largest hydro-electric dams in Africa have been arrested in Mozambique, police say.

The detained were foreigners caught with materials designed to damage the Cahora Bassa dam in north-western Mozambique, according to state media.

The suspects were from South Africa, Botswana, Germany and Portugual, police reportedly said.

The accused allegedly tried to put a corrosive chemical in the dam turbines.

National police spokesperson Pedro Cossa told a weekly briefing in Mozambique's capital, Maputo, that 1,100lb (500kg) of the unidentified corrosive substance had been confiscated, reported the South African Press Association.

"The suspects were caught putting the substance into the dam's turbines," Mr Cossa was quoted as saying by Sapa.

The Cahora Bassa dam, on the Zambezi River, is a vital source of electricity for Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Built in 1974 when Mozambique was still a Portuguese territory, ownership of the dam transferred two years ago to the Mozambican government.

Mozambique is among African countries which have pledged to provide electricity to South Africa during next year's World Cup to prevent power cuts.

 WORLD NEWS

MAPUTO, Mozambique (AP) - Mozambique police have arrested four foreigners in connection with an alleged plot to sabotage the African country's largest hydroelectric dam, officials said Wednesday.

The four _ from South Africa, Botswana, Germany and Portugal _ tried to place a corrosive chemical in the turbines of the Cahora Bassa dam in the northwestern province of Tete, Interior Ministry spokesman Pedro Cossa said Wednesday.

State radio reports they were arrested over the weekend.Cossa did not say what the motive might have been, and would not name the suspects.

These people will be brought to trial, after the investigation is concluded,he said.

The dam, built during Portugal's rule of the southeastern African nation, had been the subject of protracted negotiations. It was handed over to Mozambican control last year, 33 years after independence in 1975.
The Mozambican state owns 85 percent of the dam and Portugal owns the rest.

The dam generates electricity for Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa. 


Foreigners try to sabotage Mozambique dam
WEDNESDAY, 06 MAY 2009 - THE ZIMBABWEAN
cahora_bassa_dam.jpgThe Cabora Bassa dam
Maputo - Four foreign nationals have been arrested for attempting to sabotage the Cahora Bassa dam on the Zambezi river in central Mozambique, police announced on Tuesday.

The suspects were caught putting an unknown corrosive chemical in the turbines of the hydro-electric dam in Tete province, national police spokesman Pedro Cossa said.

They were described as a 50-year-old German soldier and architect, a 21-year-old South African, a 30-year-old Portuguese hotel worker and a 28-year-old pilot from Botswana.

Tete police chief Jamal Chande said samples of the substance had been sent to the capital for analysis and criminal charges have been filed against the men. 
Police confiscated 500 kilos of the substance.
"They are suspected of attempting something. Now they were transferred to the judiciary in Tete to face the accusation," he said.
The Cabora Bassa dam, which was built by Mozambique's former colonial power Portugal in 1974, has a capacity of 14 000 megawatts of power. It is a key source of electricity for Mozambique and its neighbours, South Africa and Malawi. 

IOL/SAPA/DPA



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