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Servaas Nicolaas "Niek" du Toit is a former
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
n
arms dealer The arms industry, also known as the arms trade, is a global industry which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology. It consists of a commercial industry involved in the research and development, engineering, production, and servi ...
, former
mercenary A mercenary, sometimes also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a member of any ...
and former colonel of 32 Battalion and the 5th Reconnaissance Commando. He was implicated in the plot to overthrow
Teodoro Obiang Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo (; born 5 June 1942) is an Equatoguinean politician and former military officer who has served as the second president of Equatorial Guinea since August 1979. He is the longest-serving president of any country ev ...
of
Equatorial Guinea Equatorial Guinea ( es, Guinea Ecuatorial; french: Guinée équatoriale; pt, Guiné Equatorial), officially the Republic of Equatorial Guinea ( es, link=no, República de Guinea Ecuatorial, french: link=no, République de Guinée équatoria ...
.


Failed coup and aftermath

He went on trial in
Malabo Malabo ( , ; formerly Santa Isabel) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea and the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko, ( bvb, Etulá, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a ...
along with 18 other men accused of being the advance party for 70 other mercenaries. All were found guilty and although the prosecution asked for the death penalty, du Toit received a 34 year sentence (to be served in Malabo's
Black Beach Black Beach ( es, Playa Negra), located on the island of Bioko, in the capital city of Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, is one of Africa's most notorious prisons. History The prison was built in the 1940s during the time of the Spanish colonial r ...
prison). His job in the
coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
was reportedly to supply the
mercenaries A mercenary, sometimes Pseudonym, also known as a soldier of fortune or hired gun, is a private individual, particularly a soldier, that joins a military conflict for personal profit, is otherwise an outsider to the conflict, and is not a memb ...
with arms including
AK-47 The AK-47, officially known as the ''Avtomat Kalashnikova'' (; also known as the Kalashnikov or just AK), is a gas-operated assault rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×39mm cartridge. Developed in the Soviet Union by Russian small-arms d ...
s, RPGs,
PK machine gun The PK (russian: Пулемёт Калашникова, transliterated as ''Pulemyot Kalashnikova'', or "Kalashnikov's machine gun"), is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge. Designed in the ...
s and
mortars Mortar may refer to: * Mortar (weapon), an indirect-fire infantry weapon * Mortar (masonry), a material used to fill the gaps between blocks and bind them together * Mortar and pestle, a tool pair used to crush or grind * Mortar, Bihar, a villag ...
, and to secure the control tower at the
Malabo airport Malabo Airport or Saint Isabel Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto de Malabo), is an airport located at ''Punta Europa'', Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. The airport is named after the capital, Malabo, approximately to the east. Airlines and ...
and change the frequency to establish communication with the incoming plane from
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...
carrying more mercenaries. After his capture, he appeared on
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
n television announcing the failure of the coup and the names of co-conspirators. Niek Du Toit served five years and eight months of a 34-year sentence in a cell measuring 150 cm x 210 cm, had been tortured, beaten, starved and kept for much of the time in solitary confinement. They were
burned with cigarettes Cigarette burns are usually deliberate injuries caused by pressing a lit cigarette to the skin. They are a common form of child abuse and torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons suc ...
, beaten with rifle butts, hung upside down and beaten, contracted malaria multiple times and was refused treatment, amongst many tortures endures by the 18 men. Of the 18 mercenaries, 4 of them returned alive. Simon Mann had bribed the prison guards to fetch food from the hotel across the street, claiming it was good enough for his co-conspirators but not for him, he even had a treadmill installed in his prison cell while Niek and the others were handcuffed to the beds and beaten if they tried to move. He was given a presidential pardon by Equatorial Guinea's dictator ruler, President Obiang, on 3 November 2009, and was released, along with Sergio Fernando Patricio Cardoso, Jose Passocas Domingos and Georges Olympic Nunez Alerson.
Simon Mann Simon Francis Mann (born 26 June 1952) is a British mercenary and former officer in the SAS. He trained to be an officer at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Scots Guards. He later became a member of the SAS. On leaving the military, h ...
was also released and was back in England by 6 November 2009. Du Toit has since retired as a career soldier and is currently working in vehicle sales in Yemen.McVeigh, Tracy
"Ex-mercenary Nick du Toit tells of his five years in a 'living hell' and why he is ashamed of war"
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...
, 13 June 2010. Retrieved on 3 November 2015.


See also

*
Simon Mann Simon Francis Mann (born 26 June 1952) is a British mercenary and former officer in the SAS. He trained to be an officer at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Scots Guards. He later became a member of the SAS. On leaving the military, h ...
*
Mark Thatcher Sir Mark Thatcher, 2nd Baronet (born 15 August 1953) is an English businessman. He is the son of Margaret Thatcher, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990, and Sir Denis Thatcher; his sister is Carol Thatcher. His early career ...


References


Literature

* James Brabazon: My Friend the Mercenary, Grove Press (March 22, 2011), Biography of Nick du Toit.


External links


"My Friend, the Mercenary From Hell"
by Noah Shachtman, 25 April 2008
BBC News article on the verdicts handed to the coup force
BBC Online, 26 November 2004
"No 'buy recommendation' for a book about a former mercenary"
by Dr. Alexander von Paleske, Nachrichten Heute, 2 August 2010
"A Coup for a Mountain of Wonga"

Boeremag brothers convicted in Pretoria, South Africa on charges of high treason
Silobreaker.com article on convictions of Andre and Mike du Toit, 27 July 2012
Interview
with Tracy McVeigh, ''The Observer'' online, 12 June 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:du Toit, Nick History of Equatorial Guinea Living people Afrikaner people Recipients of Equatoguinean presidential pardons South African Army personnel South African military personnel of the Border War Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people) South African mercenaries