Even though Police Minister Senzo Mchunu said there is no need for citizens to panic following the discovery of an alleged military training camp situated outside White River in Mpumalanga, some residents say they now live in fear.

To make matters worse, some security experts believe South Africa is under siege and that citizens are no longer safe.

This facility, which has caused quite a stir in local communities and the country at large, was being used by Libyan nationals allegedly for basic military training.

On Friday, the Mpumalanga police raided the camp and arrested 95 Libyans after receiving information about the activities taking place there. The camp was licensed for security training, which was conducted by accredited private company Milites Dei Security Services (MDSS).

According to MDSSְ’ website, it provides, among other things, ‘military-style training’ to those who fancy adventure after matric, and fitness training to young people who want to join the French Foreign Legion.

Yesterday afternoon, Mchunu led a high-profile team, drawn from the country’s security clusters, to the farm where the camp is located. He later addressed the media, during which he called for calm and assured residents there is no need to panic as they are on top of the matter.

However, he did not rule out the possibility of the existence of other secret camps in the province and other parts of the country.

Mchunu confirmed that the training facility is illegal in terms of the Private Security Industry Regulatory Authority’s (Psira) regulations.

The owners had applied for a security training licence, which they were granted, but the activities taking place there contravene Psira’s acts and regulations.

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A high-profile police delegation led by Police Minister Senzo Mchunu visited the facility, and provided some feedback about what they had found there. Read more more on Lowveld media website. #mpumalanga nelspruit militarybase

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“All indications are pointing to this being more of a military training facility than an ordinary security training centre, which is cause for concern,” said Mchunu when he addressed the media.

He also revealed that the Libyan nationals allegedly entered South Africa in April on study permits, but they all had misrepresented themselves when applying for their visas, which Mchunu said is an offence.

The media raised some concerns with Mchunu about several serious criminal cases, such as rape and attempted murder, which have been reported at the Masoyi Police Station, near the facility, that have not been resolved. The Libyans are believed to be behind some of these cases.

Mchunu did not answer whether the 95 Libyan nationals will face immediate deportation or will remain in custody until the SAPS is satisfied there are no further criminal charges to be added against them. He did, however, mention that police investigations will continue and they will leave no stone unturned.

“We are saying that because a violation of the application processes has been identified, they are here illegally.”

According to a statement released by the Department of Home Affairs, the Libyans’ visas were obtained with ‘misrepresentations’ in Tunisia, meaning they are in the country illegally and can be deported.

“We are saying that because a violation of the application processes has been identified, they are here illegally. Once a person is an illegal, you think of deportation and we would want them to be out of the country as soon as possible, but we will follow due process and discussion,” said Mchunu.

Psira’s chief Sam Chauke said yesterday that they are also of the opinion that the owners of MDSS might have broken the laws by turning their facility into a military training camp.

Lowvelder has since established that Psira intends to suspend MDSS’ security training licence. Chauke, however, refused to comment on this, saying the matter is in the hands of authorities who are still busy with investigations.

The police ministry stressed that it is also of the view that MDSS might have flouted Psira’s regulations. When asked for comment, the owners of MDSS referred the media to their legal team.

Lowvelder has since learnt from a reliable source that MDSS does not own the piece of land or the farm on which it was operating. Instead, it is owned by a black-owned trust known to Lowvelder.

Attempts to get comment from the trust’s directors were unsuccessful at the time of publishing.