Four Grahamstown pilots arrested in Ondangwa, Namibia this weekend because of a paperwork problem have been released on fines of R2 400 per pilot, but have yet to be cleared for return to SA.
Four Grahamstown pilots arrested in Ondangwa, Namibia this weekend because of a paperwork problem have been released on fines of R2 400 per pilot, but have yet to be cleared for return to SA.
Larry and Sharon McGillewie, Ron and Loraine Weissenberg, Matthys Bosch and JP Oehlerking from Grahamstown are amongst a group of 22 people travelling through Namibia on 12 microlight planes when they were stopped and their pilots were arrested.
Larry McGillewie, who organised the trip, told Namibian newspaper Die Republikein a large group of police officers and CAA officials awaited them upon landing in Ondangwa around 8pm on Saturday night. Their aircraft were also seized.
Die Republikein journalist Ronelle Rademeyer told Grocott's Mail the pilots have each paid an admission of guilt fine, but are still waiting to receive the paperwork they have to finalise in order to leave.
Rademeyer says the story is making headlines across Namibia. "As far as I know, this is a first for us," she said. "At least it is the first case involving 12 airplanes."
They were released from jail on Sunday morning, but they are still unsure of when their microlight planes would be returned and when they could come back home.
While the Namibian Civil Aviation Authorities (CAA) issued them with documents authorising them to fly, the group did not have what is known an 'overflight' document.
'The Gaggle', as the small group of aviators called themselves, were mainly from the Eastern Cape. They were on a 2 week trip around Africa in several NTCA aircrafts in support of the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) to raise awareness around cancer.
"The news we just got was initially very sketchy via SMS from one of the pilots arrested, whose second SMS just stated that he couldn't communicate anymore," read an anonymous post on the aviation chat forum www.avcom.co.za.
"If it wasn't for an urgent court order the same night, the group would have been detained until their court appearance [Monday] morning," reported Die Republikein.
Those arrested were Peter Bain, Colin Dettmann, Mike Spearpoint and JP du Preez of Port Elizabeth; Piet Swanepoel of Addo; East Londoners Patrick Hill, Bryan Erasmus and Darren Hanner; McGillewie, Weissenberg, Matthys Bosch and JP Oehlerking of Grahamstown.
