Sir Mark Thatcher, son of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, is arrested at his home in Cape Town for his alleged involvement in the Equatorial Guinea coup plot. 27 – Simon Mann, former British Army officer, security expert and mercenary, is found guilty of attempting to buy arms for the alleged Equatorial Guinea coup plot and is sentenced to 7 years imprisonment, while the 66 co-accused are acquitted. September 1 – Six people are killed and more than 100 are injured in a gas explosion in the Sasol synthetic fuel plant in Secunda. 9 – The first locally assembled Agusta A109 light utility helicopter makes its first flight at Denel's Kempton Park facilities. December 15 – South Africa announces that it will buy the Airbus A400M transport aircraft. 26 – 17 South Africans are among the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Births Deaths 13 March – Dullah Omar, lawyer and politician. (b. 1934) 9 May – Brenda Fassie, singer. (b. 1964) 27 May – Nimrod Sejake, activist. (b. 1920) 7 September – Beyers Naudé, cleric, theologian and activist. (b. 1915) 12 September – Rachel Simons, communist trade unionist. (b. 1914) 12 December – Phaswane Mpe, poet and novelist. (b. 1970) 25 December – Ian Syster, long-distance runner. (b. 1976) Sports Olympic Games The team of Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend and Ryk Neethling wins the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, simultaneously breaking the world record in the 4x100 freestyle relay. Shoeman, Ferns and Neethling trained at the University of Arizona. See also 2005 in South African television References South Africa Years in South Africa History of South Africa