Media lambasted over Mann coup plot story

Aziz Pahad has slammed the media for covering the coup plot story

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, Aziz Pahad, says he is surprised that the media is giving prominence to allegations that South Africa and Spain backed jailed British mercenary Simon Mann's plot to overthrow the government of Equatorial Guinea. Authorities in both countries have already dismissed the allegations as baseless fabrications and laughable.

The allegations come after Channel 4 News interviewed Mann in prison in the West African state, where he is awaiting trial after being extradited from Zimbabwe earlier this year. Mann has admitted he was what he termed 'the manager of the 2004 coup plot', but says someone else was the architect.

He told Channel 4 that he had indications that the South African and Spanish governments wanted him to go ahead with the plot.