The North Gauteng High Court in South Africa has ruled that a pair of holidaymakers travelling from the UK who were arrested and detained by local authorities are to receive 90,000 Rand compensation for their ordeal.

The two travellers, one who was hospitalised on his return to the UK, were unlawfully arrested in Beitbridge, where they were held in deplorable conditions for around 11 hours.

Siyananiso Mashava, a Zimbabwean, and Ian Murrell, from Australia, had been holidaying in the republic in August 2007, having travelled there for a holiday from their UK home. Judy Jody Kollapen advised the court that the pair were arrested while apparently eagerly enjoying the natural beauty of the African country. Their troubles began after they rented a vehicle for a week from the Boksburg Avo Car Rental office on August 19th 2007.

Two days after the initial hire, the car was in a minor accident but not damaged. As a precaution, the pair reported the incident to Beitbridge police. The constable then advised the pair that the car was in fact stolen. Mashava and Murrell produced their rental paperwork and a call was made to Avo who confirmed the rental.

The officer in question, Constable Mambolo, arrested the two after news of the stolen cars recovery two weeks after the incident apparently never made it onto the police report, which was also littered with errors.

Damages have been ordered in part to compensate for the miserable jail conditions which saw the pair locked up with convicted criminals in cells covered in faeces. Murrell was treated for pneumonia and other illnesses on his return to the UK.