(BLACK AGENDA REPORT) Eyewitness to America Betraying Mandela's South Africa: The Gore - Mbeki Commission
Wed, 12/11/2013 - 11:12 — Marsha Coleman-...
by Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo
Nelson Mandela's ANC leadership negotiated the form of the new South Africa on two tracks, the political wrangling in one set of meetings, & the decisions on the nation's economic future separately at another location, headed by Thabo Mbeki. The results were predictable, as Miriam Makeba said: "We got the flag, but they got to keep the money."
Eyewitness to America Betraying Mandela’s South Africa: The Gore – Mbeki Commission – Part I
by Dr. Marsha Coleman-Adebayo
"Soon after assuming my position I realized that something had gone terribly wrong."
At the dawn of the Nelson Mandela administration, I had the extraordinary privilege to sit at the table with the new African National Congress leadership as the Environmental Protection Agency /White House liaison to the Mandela government. My job was to work with the new ANC leadership to design and provide US technical environmental expertise to assist the majority population's recovery from the environmental and public health disaster the apartheid system imposed on it. This process took place through the flagship foreign policy vehicle, the US-South African BiNational Commission commonly called the Gore-Mbeki Commission or the BNC. All bilateral foreign policy activities between the US and South Africa took place through this Commission. A detailed account of these events can be found in my book: No FEAR: A Whistleblower’s Triumph over Corruption and Retaliation at the EPA.
As a graduate student and professor, I had been an anti-apartheid activist who marched with my colleagues in the Southern Africa Support Project (SASP) and TransAfrica in front of the South African Embassy to “Free Mandela” and to express our solidarity with the South African revolution. When I was offered the position of Executive Secretary to the BNC in 1995, I made it clear to the EPA—citing racist US foreign policy in other African countries—that I would not be a part of any diabolical scheme against the South African people. I was a supporter of the South African Freedom Charter and excited about helping the Mandela government implement environmental policies that would reverse decades of harmful and at times fatal policies towards the black majority. Soon after assuming my position I realized that something had gone terribly wrong. In a 1996 letter to my mentor, professor Noam Chomsky I wrote: "The Freedom Charter is not on the table. I’m heart broken to report that despite the blood sacrifice of so many activists, South Africa is entering a neo-colonial phase."
Vice President Al Gore said of the BNC: “I affirm that the people of the United States of America are committed to the strongest possible partnership with the citizens of South Africa." His counterpart, Thabo Mbeki, then deputy president of South Africa, proclaimed that he appreciated “this relationship of support and engagement for creating a better life for the people of this country.”
" Under a green banner, they were seeking to continue the previous relationship with Afrikaner leaders they had enjoyed while Nelson Mandela languished in prison for three decades."
CNN's description at the time of one aspect of BNC's mission was closer to the truth: a further goal of the BNC was to hold regular trade talks and cooperate in the fight against international terrorism.
There was a stark difference between the stated goals of the BNC and US political strategy. It would become evident that the functional goal of the environment committee of the BiNational Commission was to provide cover for the same US multinational corporations that had participated in the repression of South Africa during apartheid. Under a green banner, they were seeking to continue the previous relationship with Afrikaner leaders they had enjoyed while Nelson Mandela languished in prison for three decades.
I was the US official to whom the first reports of illness and death relating to vanadium mining were given by black South African union leaders and later by the new environmental leadership in the Nelson Mandela government. The US ignored these reports, choosing to protect American-owned multinational corporations that were operating in South Africa. The reports included symptomology of miners whose tongues were turning green, bronchitis, asthma, bleeding from bodily orifices, impotence in young, healthy male workers, cancers and ultimately death.
By 1996 US policy had not changed from the Reagan Administration—but the PR and public statements did—in response to growing US public outcries from the anti-apartheid movement and international human rights groups. Still, behind the scenes and in agencies like the EPA, the US role was business as usual.
As flowers adorn the front of the statue of Mandela at the South African embassy it is worth noting that the statue was paid for by the same corporate concerns that supported Mandela's incarceration including: the , The South African Mining Group, South Africa’s Synthetic Fuels, the chemicals giant Sasol, the South African Gold Coin Exchange and Standard Bank. These corporate co-conspirators think they can fool us with plaques, devotionals and crocodile tears.
Labels: ANC, BANTU HOLOMISA, EPA, FREEDOM CHARTER, NEOCOLONIALISM, POLLUTION
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Marikana tragedy: Who authorised the use of live ammunition?
21 Aug 2012 21:05 - Andisiwe Makinana
There was only one question opposition parties in Parliament wanted answered by the judicial commission of inquiry into the Marikana tragedy. Members of Parliament on Tuesday demanded the inquiry, announced by President Jacob Zuma on Friday, investigate who authorised the use of live ammunition on the striking workers. The incident left 34 people dead and more than 70 injured last week.
In a fiery parliamentary debate on Tuesday about the Lonmin platinum mine tragedy Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa emphasised the responsibilities that the Constitution imposes on citizens, but opposition MPs said the Constitution has been breached and whoever gave the instruction to the police to use live ammunition should be held accountable for the deaths of 34 striking workers.
Mthethwa said Thursday's event could have been avoided "if all of us had adhered to the noble principles of our Constitution".
He said the Constitution guarantees rights and imposes responsibilities on the citizens of the republic.
Mthethwa cited section 17 of the Constitution which assures the citizens the right to "peacefully and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and present petition and section 205 which speaks specifically to the South African Police Service and enjoins the members of the service to 'prevent, combat and investigate crime, maintain public order, protect and secure the inhabitants of the republic and their property and uphold and enforce the law'."
He said the police as part of our security services are always and at all material times guided by the Constitution of the Republic. The police did all in their power to avert (a violent) situation, he said.
"As we indicated above, the Constitution of the Republic guarantees us the right to strike, to protest in a peaceful orderly manner to express our dissatisfaction with anything. While all South Africans enjoy these rights, rights always come with responsibilities," said Mthethwa.
But leaders of the opposition parties came out guns blazing demanding answers on who authorised the use of live ammunition, and also called for a broad and data-driven commission of inquiry.
Lack of leadership
The Democratic Alliance's Lindiwe Mazibuko said the tragedy spoke of a lack of top-level leadership and of ministerial accountability.
She said the judicial commission of inquiry should specifically establish who authorised the use of live ammunition on the striking workers, within the context of how the police manage violent strikes. "Whoever authorised the use of live ammunition must be held accountable.
"It must also be revealed on what, if any, intelligence was the planning was conducted; and if the national police commissioner, Riah Phiyega, exercised appropriate judgment and leadership. At what point did she intervene?"
Mazibuko said the commission should also carefully examine the conduct and Mthethwa's role adding that: "In most democracies, a crisis of this magnitude would have immediately precipitated the resignation of the minister, and, in many cases, the fall of the government.
"The DA is concerned that no one in this government seems to be assuming political responsibility for the [tragedy]. We need accountability now."
She added that police minister, the secretaries general of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), and the chief executive officer of Lonmin should carefully consider their positions, and offer their resignations. "Their position is untenable."
Congress of the People president, Mosioua Lekota reiterated that the incident was avoidable "had we only stuck to the provisions of our Constitution".
'Militarisation'
Lekota blamed the "militarisation" of police, especially highlighting the introduction of military ranks to the police service. He said this had prepared the "young" police officers in a manner which resulted in an outcome like the Marikana tragedy.
He said while the Constitution prescribed for a police service and not a police force, Zuma introduced military ranks. "When the authors of the Constitution decided on a police service, and not on a militarised police force, they had been informed by what had happened in the past under the then police force."
Lekota said whoever authorised the use of live ammunition was in breach of the Constitution.
"In this country, the Constitution does not allow death sentence, who is this authority who has the right to say to the police shoot with live ammunition that was definitely going to take lives ... Who was this person who is above the Constitution, who had the authority to decide that this right to life will be suspended today, for this moment and therefore shoot? ... Who had the authority to waive the right of the people to life and to mow down those numbers of people that were slaughtered on that day there," asked Lekota.
The Inkatha Freedom Party's Velaphi Ndlovu questioned the presence of the police in Marikana, saying they had been used by management.
"Why did the police go there, who called them? Workers were not on the mine property and didn't pose any threat to the management."
Civilian leadership
The appointment of a civilian to top police leadership also came into question.
United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa, who visited Marikana with other leaders of the opposition parties on Monday, said incidents like Marikana were here to stay, "unless we do away with the deployment of people with no professional police background to senior SAPS levels to command juniors with military training".
"Perhaps, it is time for this House to review the mechanism of civilian oversight in the SAPS. Should we not confine civilian oversight to the office of the Minister and let experienced police personnel run SAPS?"
Holomisa also questioned the tactics the police used to disarm and disperse striking mineworkers.
He then suggested that Parliament should closely monitor these salary negotiations given the questionable involvement of the police in this labour dispute. "We should not lose sight of the fact that both NUM and Amcu workers have one thing in common. They demand a salary adjustment."
Labels: BANTU HOLOMISA, LABOUR, MASSACRE, MINING, PLATINUM, POLICE BRUTALITY
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ANC decision slammed
Sapa
Sat, 20 Sep 2008 23:40:00 +0000
THE United Democratic Movement has condemned the manner in which the ANC recalled President Thabo Mbeki yesterday, describing it as "an act of political barbarity".
"To remove the head of state like this is an act of political barbarity that threatens to plunge the country into anarchy," Bantu Holomisa said in a statement on Saturday. "Here is a person who has not been accused of any crime, but he is being pushed out of office by a person who faces charges of fraud and corruption."
Holomisa said the Mbeki legacy, in setting up institutions in the country and on the continent, would be remembered.
"Like any government they have had their flaws and their successes. His legacy will be the institutions that he put in place in the country and on the continent, such as Nepad and the revived African Union."
The Pan Africanist Congress of Azania said the ANC decision was not in the interest of the country, but was "informed by its desire to pre-empt the appeal by the National Prosecuting Authority (of Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Chris Nicholson's ruling that the charges of fraud and corruption against party President Jacob Zuma were invalid)".
PAC President Letlapa Mphahlel said that although the ANC had the right to deploy and recall party members, the move was informed by the party's "self-serving narrow interests".
The Independent Democrats would like a clear indication of how the ANC would deal with the impact of Mbeki's exit, ID leader Patricia de Lille said.
"We would like to see a clear plan by the ANC to deal with the impact Mbeki's exit will have on the running of government, service delivery, economic stability and international relations."
De Lille said it was important to have a plan in place for the "likely departure of some ministers with Mbeki".
The Young Communist League welcomed the ANC's decision and appealed to cabinet ministers not to resign.
"As YCL we believe that the Ministers owe their allegiance to the constitution and the citizens of our country, and not to an individual," National Secretary Buti Manamela said.
Head of the Democratic Alliance Helen Zille said the decision meant the ANC's internal battles had turned into a crisis for South Africa.
"ANC factionalism has long undermined government's ability to deliver, and it now threatens to destabilise the entire country."
She said the move was a clear attempt to find a "political solution" to Jacob Zuma's legal problems.
"Replacing President Mbeki with a Zuma proxy will open the way for them to ensure that he does not have to face a court of law," she said.
"If Zuma is put above the law it will do more to undermine the Constitution than anything else."
She said it was "untenable" for Zuma to assume the presidency without being acquitted of corruption charges by a court of law.
"Judge Nicholson's judgment was not an acquittal."
Inkatha Freedom Party president Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi said the NEC's decision represented the biggest challenge to SA since apartheid.
"The decision of the ANC obviously has serious ramifications for the country's political, economic stability and statecraft.
He said history would judge Mbeki as a "towering figure" who consolidated President Nelson Mandela's remarkable legacy and promoted the notion of an "African Renaissance".
He said having known Mbeki for nearly 30 years, it was clear to him that "this is a man who cares deeply about South Africa's developmental challenges, stable economic framework and her place in the world.
"My wife, family and Party join me in wishing President Mbeki and his wife, Zanele, God's richest blessings and good fortune for their future life together."
Sapa.
Labels: ANC, BANTU HOLOMISA, UNITED DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT
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UDM: Reveal 'third force' information
Johannesburg, South Africa
25 May 2008 01:11
The government should appoint a commission of inquiry to probe the xenophobic attacks that have claimed at least 50 lives and left thousands of people homeless, the United Democratic Movement (UDM) said on Sunday. UDM president Bantu Holomisa said there was a need for a transparent inquiry that would analyse the attacks and
remove suspicions that they were "deliberate and orchestrated”.
"The key here would be to remove any kind of suspicion that this thing was unleashed deliberately and orchestrated by whoever. Ministers are already telling us there is a third force. Let them bring that evidence to the commission."
Holomisa said there was a need for the inquiry to visit countries where people had been repatriated to, and gather evidence and testimonies from victims of the attacks. Holomisa was addressing the Twelve Apostles Church in Bloemfontein to mark Africa Day.
Holomisa called on churches to constantly monitor political leaders and scrutinise the work they were doing.
He said religious leaders played a crucial role in South Africa before 1994, but were shunned by politicians after the elections.
"Immediately after that watershed moment in our history, the political leaders immediately shunned the religious leaders and disowned their role, under the pretext that they had been elected democratically to lead the country," Holomisa said.
He reiterated his call for a national convention that would allow all key players to discuss national issues.
He said the convention should look at social cohesion, economic policies, poverty and crime.
ANC leaders to visit hots spots
Meanwhile, ANC president Jacob Zuma and senior party leaders will hold programmes of engagement with communities in xenophobic hots pots across Gauteng on Sunday, the party said in a statement.
Spokesperson Tiyani Rikhotso said the party's national executive committee (NEC), which met on Friday and Saturday, agreed on a programme of engagement to stem the tide of violence and restore stability in affected communities.
The programme would involve all levels of the ANC in a decisive and concerted campaign to mobilise across society to address this crisis, Rikhotso said. - Sapa
Labels: BANTU HOLOMISA, SOUTH AFRICA, XENOPHOBIA
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