This has been an ongoing problem and one that was foreseen by many, because of the complete porous nature of the South African borders and the predisposition of the ANC governement to grant asylum to many former dictators and war criminals in the past (since 1995).
There are many recorded incidents of coups and terrorist attacks having been planned from South African soil even back during the Apartheid Era: the failed Commoros Coup; and several clandestine operations to destabilise neighboring southern african countries. Recently, there was even the failed Central African Republic Coup that was launched from South Africa directly.
However, the really worrying reality is that currently South Africa is hosting several former dictators, despots and warlords (some even at the expense of the South African taxpayer!). This does not even include those that have illegally entered into South Africa...
Jean Bertrand Aristide, formerly of Haiti, has been staying here ever since being ousted from power in a cout d'tat and has various financial ventures underway at present, but has no plans to return to help his former country to recover from the January 2010 Earthquake.
At one stage, even Mobutu Seseseko of the then Zaire was being offered asylum in South Africa, when Kabila ousted him and he very nearly did agree to, but changed after security concerns. The people of the DRC are still trying to recover money that he siphoned off over the decades that he was in power.
There are always unsubstantiated rumors of a number of other foreign ex-leaders (Charles Taylor of Liberia handed blood diamonds to Naomi Cambell at a Nelson Mandela Children's Fund in South Africa) and criminals either being resident or having travelled through South Africa repeatedly. This includes Somali militia leaders, Al-Qaeda operatives (linking up with the South African QIBLA militant Muslim organisation, Vietnamese and Myanmar Military or Consular officials transporting drugs or banned animal products (like Rhino Horn), as well as war-criminals from Serbia or Bosnia-Herzogovina travelling through Southa Africa to by and or selling arms. There was even reports that the people involved with the two East African Bombings in Kenya, etc, had also travelled through South Africa.
Is it so surprising that someone like Henry Okah, a former rebel leader fighting for the liberation of the Niger Delta was in South Africa and might have been involved with the twin bombings in Nigeria recently... He certainly had the means and the political support of the ANC to stay here and there are many other expatriot Nigerians living in South Africa illegally for almost ten years now.
Yes... So there is veritable grounds for seeing the purpose of Henry Okah's involvement with ridding the Niger Delta of Foreign Companies that are raping the natural mineral wealth of the region to profit themselves. There is also some basis to the assertion that it is an endeavor to liberate the people of the Niger Delta from exploitation and oppression...
But, it in no way justifies the use of South African soil as a base for international terrorism or fundraising, even in the pursuit of democratic ideals. Beacause there is no justification for using violence (Rape, Murder, Kidnapping, Extortion and Torture) against innocent civilians under any circumstances. Especially, when it is orchestrated from another sovereign country like South Africa!
And this is the crux of the problem, in that no matter how supportive the ANC government is of fellow African liberation movements, they can not allow these movements to carry out their activities on South African soil, because it gives the national governments opposed to these movements the right to retaliate against South Africa from supporting or assisting rebel groups and terrorists.
Which is definately, not something that South Africa or its people could afford to be labeled as or want to deal with the ramifications of the retalitory actions...
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