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Last Update: March 17, 2001 |
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Mbeki and SA reacts to gold conspiracy theory Ilda Jacobs PRESIDENT Thabo Mbeki’s office has asked to be informed of further developments about the alleged “gold conspiracy.” Mbeki’s request follows the briefing of the South African mining industry by the US-based Gold Anti-Trust Action about their pending lawsuit against large U.S. bullion banks for artificially oppressing the gold price. GATA and plaintiff Reginald Howe, a trial attorney and gold market analyst, filed a lawsuit backed largely with South African money, last December in the U.S. District Court in Boston. The suit is against Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board; William J.McDonough, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; Lawrence H. Summers, former secretary of the Treasury Department; The Bank of International Settlements and five investments, J.P. Morgan & Co. Inc., Chase Manhattan Corp., Citigroup Inc., Goldman Sachs Group Inc., and Deutsche Bank AG. Former Treasury Secretary Summers was appointed on Monday as the 27th president of Harvard University. The lawsuit maintains that the gold price was artificially held down since 1994. Howe maintains that the gold price was fixed at $289 per ounce for the three years ending 1997, 1998, and 1999. Gata said this is too much of a coincidence to be the result of a free market. Murphy said GATA took legal action after receiving $285,000 U.S. in donations from mostly South Africa's largest mining firms, Anglo American Gold Investment Co. Ltd. (Amgold) of South Africa, Gold Fields South Africa Ltd, Durban Deep, and JCI Gold Incorporated and Canada's Placer Gold. The Treasury of the United States, had to respond to the allegations by March the 15th. Spokespeople at The Board of the Federal Reserve Bank and the Treasury Office were not aware of the lawsuit, and declined to comment. All the other defendants have to respond by the end of March, except McDonough, who has to respond by April 10th. Based on his discussion with defendants’ attorneys, Howe said he expects all the defendants to file motions to dismiss the case. “The truth about the manipulation of the gold price by the gold cartel is spreading around the world,” said Bill Murphy, GATA’s chairperson. A GATA delegation visited South Africa in February to raise awareness about the alleged manipulation of gold prices by several bullion banks operating on the Comex in New York. Meanwhile Gordon H.S. Bamford, who served for 40 years with Johannesburg Consolidated Investment Co Ltd (JCI), founded the South Africans for a Free Gold Market after GATA presented their research on the gold price fixing to the South African gold mining industries. Bamford wrote a letter to the new U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’ Neill last week to urge the new Bush Administration’s Treasury to “choose the course of transparency and free markets.” “Since 1994 it has been remarked upon that whenever the price of gold threatened to recover, a much-publicised sale of many tons of gold was announced by one or other banking institution, “ Bamford wrote. “During the past 10 years the U.S. dollar gold price was first “contained” below a $420 ceiling, then locked into a relentless downtrend, settling in a narrow band between $260 and $285 per ounce,” Bamford said. He pointed out that the South African gold mining industry was forced to retrench much of its labour force in order to stay afloat. “A conservative estimated of these job losses during the preceding 10 years is given as 150,000 to 200,000,” Bamford said. “In contrast to this tale of woe amongst producers, demand for gold has risen every year, and the gap between mine supply and total offtake has continued to widen. Despite this apparent contradiction, the price of the metal failed to recover. Indeed, it fell.” Bamford further said he and his former colleagues, have finally been forced to conclude that the “the prices have been and is being held down artificially.” The gold price jumped to US$274 per ounce on Monday morning and was trading at around $272 per ounce at the close of trading day in New York. Fedsure analyst Nick Goodwin was also quoted this week saying “the court case against U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan and several banks brought by the Gold Anti-Trust Action Committee has caused jitters in the market.” GATA is now arranging the GATA Africa Gold Summit in Durban on May 10th. The summit will be held at the Durban Hilton Hotel and the Durban Conference Centre. GATA is currently inviting African mining ministers, gold producers, and South African political, business and mining union leaders. Media from around the world have also been invited to attend. The summit’s agenda is to expose the manipulation of the gold market and to offer an action plan to end it. © RSA-Overseas & Matheson Communications [ Top ]  Kytie Koekblik ColumnKytie Koekblik Washington D.C. - Hierdie week se kytie gaan ek vanuit die staanspoort begin met ‘n disclaimer. Hierdie Kytie is nie veronderstel om enigiets te insiniueer, of om splinters uit ander se oe te haal nie. Dit is geskryf in die gees van versoening. Of in die spirits van satire. Dit is dus bedoel om snaaks te wees…. Geen joernalis, koerant of nuusredakteur sal OOIT erken hulle haal quotations uit hulle konteks uit nie. Maar vandag erken ek dit…hierdie is my versameling van snaakse quotes wat ek met my oor op die grond versamel het. En aan alle mense in die Suid-Afrikaanse ambassade wat deurloop lag saam. Wat se hulle mos, hoogste bome vang die meeste wind. Ons kan almal hartlik saamlag en vrolik wees, dis mos wat ons is, ‘n plesierige klompie stamme daar vanuit die Suidpunt van Afrika…en ons weet mos dis die amerikaners wat in blink karre rondry, nou wel nie met stywe bolippe soos die Ingilse nie, maar met fronse en ernstige gesigte. Hulle lag mos net vir simpel sitcoms… Dus, hier is ‘n klompie juwele wat ek bymekaar gemaak, aanhalings buite die konteks en dus TOTAAL uit verband gehaal… My gunsteling is definitief nogsteeds die vorige ambassadeur vir die Verenigde State, Franklin Sonn, se staaltjie voor ‘n reuse gehoor wat hoofsaaklik uit Amerikaners bestaan het. En dit is die Reine Waarheid. Hy vertel toe mos vir almal dat Amerika sou beter af gewees het as hulle ook vir Martin Luther King Jr in die tronk gestop het, soos Suid-Afrika met Mandela gedoen het. Sonn se Suid-Afrika was baie slim, want ons het vir Mandela in die tronk ge”preserve”, anders was hy lankal dood. Volgens die grapevine, het niemand gelag nie, en daarom besluit hy om die joke nog langer te rek… Anwar Sadat sou nog geleef het as hy in die tronk was as ons nou die “foresight” gehad het om vir Sadat te “preserve”… Obviously het niemand nogsteeds gelag nie. My ander gunsteling, is ‘n ironiese quote uit ‘n onlangse press release. Kyk, ons almal speel met woorde. Maar as jy press releases skryf en jou lewe uit woorde maak, moet jy ELKE SIN en ELKE woord deeglik oorweeg… Daarom is my absolute gunsteling, in die lig van al ons epidemies en armoede en werkloosheid en crime, die volgende sin wat opgeduik het in die notorious press verklaring. “The South African Government has proper mechanisms in place to deal with our socio-economic problems.” Ek dink nie ENIGE government in die hele wereld het “proper mechanims” om met Suid-Afrika se probleme te deal op die oomblik nie…maar hoe se ‘n mens mos: Aanhouer wen. Die ander absoluut klassieke statement is onlangs gemaak deur ‘n besondere senior persoon in die ambassade. Tydens die een van daai great onthale waar ons altyd soos rawe toesak op die curryfish en frikkadelle, het ene hierdie spreker dit goedgedink om te se: “Promoting our bla-bla in the States, is what the embassy SHOULD be doing.” Ek het dit baie amusant gevind. ‘n Suid-Afrikaans kunstenaar is ook in die ambassade onthaal, en die spreker het iets gese in die lyn van, Ek wens ons kon elke maand so 'n onthaal hou in die SA ambassade maar ons het nie soveel talent in ons land nie. Ha-ha. Hie-hie. Klein ander goetertjies vind ek ook amusant. Ons bel nou die dag ‘n diplomaat. “Do you have a minute?” “Yes, can you hold a second” antwoord die persoon. Nou die dag woon ek ‘n press konferensie by in die groot kantoor van die Ambassade, waar ten minste vyf embassy staff rondskarrel. Sommige van hulle lyk belangrik, ander soortvan clueless en die res lyk asof hulle ietwat onkant gevang is deur iets. “Our apology for the delay, we’re a bit short staffed this morning,” verskoon ons host ons… My ander gunsteling, totaal uit konteks gehaal is deur een van my favourite ambassade staffers. “You know, there’s so many sub-committees of ad hoc committees..” En ook unofficially off the record, is my gunsteling deur members van die staff… “This embassy functions only 40% at what it could be..” Ha-ha… Kytie K. Kytie Koekblik would like you to respond to her tongue-in-cheek running commentary on suburban life in America in this editorial. Fresh off the boat, she is ready to explore and experiment with American bath plugs and to drive on the other side of the road. You can contact her here. © RSA-Overseas & Matheson Communications [ Top ] Protests demand end to “medical apartheid” THE pending lawsuit of the pharmaceutical industry against the government of South Africa, has attracted media attention and support in the U.S. Yesterday AIDS activists demonstrated outside the South African Embassy in Washington, D.C. to demand an end to “medical apartheid.” The demonstrators condemned the lawsuit filed by 40 of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies against the people and the government of South Africa.
“Drug company greed kills” and “pills cost pennies, greed costs lives” placards characterised the demonstration. “The criminals are not the South African government who dare to make treatment a priority,” said John Bell during the delivery of a message of solidarity on behalf of the demonstrators. Bell said his own life has been extended because he has access to HIV/AIDS treatment. The South African ambassador to the United States, Sheila Sisulu, accepted the message of solidarity delivered by influential activist organisations, including ACT UP Philadelphia, the Gray Panthers, the Health GAP coalition, Oxfam America and Doctors Without Borders. “We applaud the strong stance of the South African government against the US government and against the greed induced pharmaceutical industry” said Paul Davis, spokesperson for the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) of Philadelphia. ACT UP is one of the largest AIDS grassroots activist organisations in the United States. Ever since they have entered the pledge to support affordable solutions for the AIDS pandemic, their organisation has tripled in size, the spokesperson confirmed. “We support the plan of governments to increase access to medicines through proven free market approaches that include generic competition,” Davis said. The solidarity campaign denounced recent initiatives by several large drug companies to reduce their prices. Davis called their initiatives “corporate charity from the north,” and said the drug companies were securing false perceptions in wealthy countries so as to extract the maximum profits from the few. “Headline generating measures such as Merck’s have yet to put pills in the hands of a tenth of one percent of the 25 million Africans with HIV,” the statement of solidarity with South Africa concluded. “The South African government intends to ensure that every citizen, not just a privileged minority, has access to an acceptable quality of basic health care services,” Sisulu told the demonstrators. She said the government would pursue the progressive realization of that basic right to health care through “all available channels, including defending the Medicines Act before a court of law.” The proposed medicines act paves the “groundwork to introduce generic competition,” Sisulu said. She said the “comprehensive” law would enable self sufficient solutions for HIV/AIDS, as well as for other opportunistic diseases. Sisulu did not want to speculate about a possible state of HIV/AIDS emergency, and confirmed that President Thabo Mbeki would address the issue in Parliament on Wednesday. When asked whether it was necessary to consult their US counterparts, Sisulu said “We don’t have to consult them.” President of the Southern African Development Committee, the Namibian Ambassador to the United States, Leonard N. Iipumbu, also attended the demonstration in support of the South African government. “Everyone should be allowed to do research. If the scientists in South Africa have the capacity to produce affordable drugs, then they should be allowed to do so,” Iipumbu said. He said funds for research should be made available by nations with a surplus. In comparison to numerous anti-apartheid protests outside the embassy during the era of the old South African administration when protestors were hostile towards the SA government, the South African Ambassador Sisulu thanked the protestors for helping to draw attention to the South African cause. Several major TV networks including CNN, covered the demonstration. Sisulu remarked that the protest was once again needed to demand justice. “It is my hope that protests today will culminate in justice for the people of South Africa to get access to affordable drugs,” Sisulu said. The protest outside the South African embassy preceded a protest in front the offices of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. (PhRMA), a lobbying organisation for drug companies. The protestors planned to decorate the PhRMA property with tombstones representing South African people who have died while a “drug company lawsuit has delayed access to affordable drugs.” © RSA-Overseas & Matheson Communications [ Top ] DA calls on Mbeki to disband Aids panel Democratic Alliance deputy leader Marthinus Van Schalkwyk on Sunday called on President Thabo Mbeki to disband his Aids Advisory Panel and distance himself and the government from statements made by some members of the panel on the causes of Aids. Addressing a DA regional local government conference at Vanderkloof in the Northern Cape, Van Schalkwyk repeated a motion he made in Parliament on Thursday. He said that although Mbeki announced that he would no longer take a public role in debating the causes of Aids, he was still stuck in the mud on the issue because of statements made by members of his panel which were sinking the country's credibility. "Of the 33 members serving on the President's Aids Advisory Panel, almost a third have either been published, or have made statements to the effect that they dismiss the causal link between HIV and Aids," he said. Quoting some of the statements published by some panel members, Van Schalkwyk said that some of the "more outrageous" claims attributed to the so-called Aids dissidents were bringing South Africa's credibility into question simply by association. He said if Mbeki was to restore the country's international credibility on the issue, it was important for him to stop surrounding himself with advisors who did not base their advice on the overwhelming bulk of scientific evidence that HIV does indeed cause Aids. "If President Mbeki is ever to pull South Africa's reputation back out of the mud, he must immediately deal with the growing perception that his silence on the issue is really a silent endorsement of the dissident perspective. "The DA calls on the President to investigate these issues, and to disband his Aids Advisory Panel if needs be, in order to reconstitute it with those better place to offer reputable and sound scientific guidance," he said. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] Cape Town airport nominated for world award Cape Town international airport has garnered a nomination for the first time in a global competition in the category of world's leading airports. Airport general manager Monwabisi Kalawe said big expansion projects in the past five years had earned the airport worldwide recognition. He said the organisers of the World Travel Awards told him the airport was nominated for two categories - world's leading airport, and Africa's leading airport. "This additional nomination elevates our international status and will inspire us to higher degrees of service excellence," said Kalawe. The airport retained the title as Africa's leading airport for three consecutive years from 1998 to 2000. The other finalists in this category this year were Johannesburg international airport, Harare airport in Zimbabwe, Jomo Kenyatta international in Kenya and Egypt's Cairo airport. The nominations for the eighth annual World Travel Awards, were transmitted to 100 000 travel agents and buyers. The voting form is on the Internet and is open to all travel professionals across the globe. The winners in 152 categories are selected by nearly 500 000 members of the international travel industry. Cape Town international's new R113-million arrivals hall will be officially opened on March 27. The new facility is set to treble passenger handling capacity from 350 to 950 passengers an hour. On completion of the international departures hall in 2002, the terminal will have air bridges that connect aircraft to the terminal. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] Farmer vows to fight for return of his land Mpumalanga farmer Willem Pretorius vowed on Wednesday to exhaust all legal avenues in fighting the government's attempts to expropriate his land for restitution purposes - the first such case in South Africa. He would even approach the Constitutional Court, if necessary, Pretorius said. "I will get the money, even if I have to borrow or steal it," he said. The government on Tuesday served an expropriation notice on the Lydenburg farm owner after repeated failures to reach agreement on the purchase price. In terms of the document, the land officially becomes government property on March 20, while the Pretorius family will have until May 20 to find a new place to stay. Pretorius is willing to sell his farm Boomplaats, but at his price: R2,13-million. He has been offered R848 485 by the government, which is buying back the farm for the Dinkwanyane community - forcefully removed from the land in the late 1950s. Pretorius claimed he was being treated unfairly, saying such a deal could ruin him financially. "The community was removed from that land nearly 20 years before I bought it. I think it is unfair that the present government wants to penalise me for what the previous government did to them." The Transvaal Agricultural Union (TAU) has accused the government of blatant discrimination and racism for the "monstrous way" in which it handled the matter. "This is precisely what (President Robert) Mugabe has done in Zimbabwe, only in a concealed form," TAU president Gert Ehlers said in a statement. "The way government confiscated the property of Mr Pretorius by expropriation, creates a precedent which will be very difficult to stop. All land owners, be it farmers, banks or mining houses, are at risk." Moses Mushi, spokesperson for Agriculture and Land Affairs Minister Thoko Didiza, said the expropriation adhered to the letter of the law. "If we give him what he requires it would amount to corruption, because we would be giving him money not due to him," he said. "We must keep in mind that this very same land was expropriate from the Dinkwanyane community for the benefit of white farmers. Only, they did not get any compensation." Mushi said Pretorius was free to approach the courts for redress, but stressed he would still have to be off the farm by the May 2 deadline. Kwape Mmela, spokesperson for the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights, also denied Pretorius was treated unjustly. "Mr Pretorius has got rights, and if he feels he has a grievance, it is within his power to approach the judiciary. But it is our belief that he was treated fairly all along." Pretorius claims he is entitled to R2,1-million for his property, as this was the amount determined by an independent valuator appointed by the government in 1998. Last year, a second valuator put the price at R1,5-million. This was the amount accepted, from which was subtracted soft loans and subsidies granted to Pretorius by the previous government, to arrive at the sum of R848 485. Both Mush and Mmela maintain that the first quotation was inaccurate as it failed to take into account a number of factors - including the soft loans and the original purchase price of the land. "You cannot use state money to develop a farm and then expect us to give you more state money to buy back that same land," Mushi said. For its part, Agri SA said this case raised concerns about the interpretation of the compensation formula, which takes into account the market value of the land at the time it was bought, and the interest rate payable on soft loans. "These things are very difficult to determine with accuracy, and this could lead to under-valuation," Agri SA legal adviser Annelize Crosby said. Pretorius said on Wednesday he would not keep fighting the government should he lose his legal battle. "I cannot go against the law. It will be a terrible set-back, but I will just have to start over. I cannot do anything other than farming, so I will have no choice but to start from scratch." Pretorius and a TAU delegation were on Wednesday afternoon on their way to Johannesburg to consult legal experts on a way forward. "My wife and children are very upset by the current state of affairs," the farmer said. "My two sons thought they were going to farm at Boomplaats one day." The Dinkwanyane community last month signed an agreement with Didiza for their return to the land now occupied by Pretorius and a neighbouring farmer, Kallie Joubert. Joubert has agreed to sell his farm to the government for R1-million. The community, comprising about 600 families, were moved off the 2 000ha land between 1957 and 1961. They bought it in May 1906 for £50 000 (presently about R568 500). Mmela gave an assurance on Wednesday that Pretorius could approach the government for an extension of the May 2 deadline if he and his family had found no other place to stay by that time. Thanks to IOL.co.za [ Top ] |
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