Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

As many as 1000 former members of Apla, the SANDF, Umkhonto WeSizwe (MK) and new recruits were camping on a sugar farm in Northern KwaZulu-Natal, police said on Thursday.

Police spokesman Inspector Bonginkosi Mkhize said the group of men camped on Leeukop Farm near the N2, had been brought to the Onverwacht border post near Swaziland by bus last week.

He said police had monitored the group of men who had slowly moved toward

Mkuze.

It is believed that the group were connected with a previous group of 365 who were arrested in the KwaZulu-Natal town of Manguzi in the Kosi Bay area last week. They were charged in connection with the Regulation of Gatherings Act.

There were reports that large numbers of those arrested belonged to the infamous Inkatha Freedom Party's (IFP) Self Protection Units (SPU).

Mkhize said police had been monitoring the group since last Friday. The Zululand Observer reported that the group had gathered at the King Dinizulu Hall in Eshowe before boarding buses to Pongola.

Mkhize said: "We have found that they have a mix of those SPU's, MKs,

Apla and SANDF."

He denied reports that the group had crossed the border.

"They camped there before moving to Mkuze."

Sugar farm owner Lauri Brecher said the men had been camping on his farm next the N2 for the past two days.

He said they had shown no aggression towards him.

"They're eating my sugar cane, building huts, drinking my water and I don't know what to do," Brecher said.

"How do I go and file 500 cases of trespassing against people I don't even know?"

He said he had been told the group of men wanted to go to Swaziland "to complain to the United Nations about (President Thabo) Mbeki".

"I know its not against me, but I am sitting with this problem that nobody wants to do anything about," said Brecher.

Neighbouring game farm owner Kemp Landman said according to wardens the men had snared three warthogs on his farm on Thursday morning.

The incident was reported to the police.

He was concerned that the situation would not have resolved itself before he took delivery of some black rhino from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife.

"If they (Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife) see this, they won't want to deliver them (the rhino)," he said.

Kemp said he believed the men were dissatisfied that they could not join the army.

Mkhize said it was not certain whether the men were armed.