Apartheid lawsuits: Strong case

2003-10-24 19:13

Johannesburg - Civil organisations supporting Khulumani's apartheid reparations law suits will be holding demonstrations in the days leading up to the New York hearing.

Jubilee 2000 South Africa head Mallet "MP" Giyose said demonstrators would gather outside companies listed as defendants. A decision was taken a few days ago to hold provincial demonstrations for five days leading up to the court hearing on November 6 and to hold national demonstrations on the day of the hearing.

It is expected that the defendant companies will ask for the case to be dismissed on November 6.

Giyose said that supporters in Africa, Europe and North America are also expected to hold protests on that day.

"We want them (the companies) to know that they are not just taking on 300 000 apartheid survivors but the whole of civilised society.

Details of the protest are expected to be finalised next week and the relevant companies notified.

Khulumani executive director Ike Tlholwe said he was more convinced than ever that they had a solid case. He said that they had submitted as evidence correspondence from the South African president's office which said that anyone was entitled to take any matter to court provided that they did not claim to represent all apartheid victims.

"Our case does not do that."

US lawyer Michael Hausfeld, who has been on a five-day South African visit to brief Khulumani claimants said that they had worked hard to ensure that they only targeted companies who benefited from apartheid and not those companies which had simply done business in the country.

"As other lawsuits have done."

- SAPA