Mozambican authorities allegedly paid bail for the wayward child of the country's president
Evidence wa ka Ngobeni

Allegations of a cover-up surround the arrest of Mozambican President Joaquim Chissano's eldest son in South Africa on drug charges three weeks ago.

Nhimpine Chissano was arrested and held by the South African police after he refused to give them permission to search the car he was travelling in, according to a senior South African government official.

Nhimpine Chissano was detained for few hours but, the source said, he was released after a Mozambican security official paid his bail.

The South African officers who allegedly arrested Chissano were junior members of the police force, it is understood.

Minister of Safety and Security Steve Tshwete's representative Andre Martin said his office has been flooded with calls about Chissano's arrest, but could not confirm it.

Martin said he would make further inquiries to establish whether the arrest had taken place or not. At the time of going to press, he had not confirmed the arrest.

Acting foreign affairs representative Robert McBride said: "The Department of Foreign Affairs is not aware of such allegations."

According to several Mail & Guardian sources in Maputo and South Africa, Mozambican government officials bailed Chissano and engineered a cover-up of the incident.

These other sources claim a South African police officer was paid R2 000 to ensure Chissano's release after he was found in possession of cocaine.

The arrest has been denied by the Mozambican government and its embassy in South Africa. Embassy officials said they had been inundated with inquiries about Chissano's arrest over the past few weeks but that there was no truth to the allegations.

A leading newspaper in Mozambique, Metical, has meanwhile also reported that Chissano was arrested in a police roadblock in Gauteng.

Metical editor Masel Mosse said: "President Chissano's office did not confirm or deny that Nhimpine was arrested in Johannesburg. He said the Mozambican government did not pay for his release.

"Various sources have informed Metical that Nhimpine was detained after South African police stopped him to search his car. Nhimpine reacted with 'arrogance'," Mosse added.