Simon Witherspoon

Mercenary arrested in Zimbabwe on 7 March 2004 during the collapse of the Wonga Coup plot.

According to Mr Mohadi, Simon Witherspoon - referred to as a "known South African mercenary" - was the leader of the group.

He is reported to be a former member of the South African Defence Force, who joined the now defunct mercenary company Executive Outcomes (EO) in 1989.

Witherspoon, yet another veteran of South African special forces (Five Reconnaissance Regiment), calls himself a professional hunter and 'security consultant' for foreign governments. He says he was invited by a 'James' (presumably Kershaw) to join the operation at the last minute.

Affiliations

• Executive Outcomes
• Five Reconnaissance Regiment

Connections

• Simon Mann