/qnotables/ - ===Q Notables===

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22575215 (131651ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Steinhoff International Holdings Bun / Steinhoff Scandal: four key developments in the 2024 fraud case (Parts 1&2)

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>“What a strange world. So this Kimber guy bought Markus Jooste private jet which is parked in the Winelands Airport and off he goes to the Rugby World Cup.”

>>281773

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>>281878

>>281879

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>Steinhoff

“Steinhoff Scandal: four key developments in the 2024 fraud case” 1 of 2

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/steinhoff-scandal-four-key-developments-in-the-2024-fraud-case/

25 Dec 2024

Labelled as “one of the biggest cases of corporate fraud in the history of South Africa” by the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), the Steinhoff case continued to unravel in its developments during 2024.

Steinhoff has been investigated by the NPA and the Hawks, following an audit revealed the company inflated its profits by R100 billion.

The multinational holding company listed in Germany and South Africa was officially liquidated in October 2023.

“The Steinhoff case, one of the biggest cases of corporate fraud in the history of South Africa, has been one of the most complex commercial crime cases that the [Hawks] and the NPA have had to deal with,” said the NPA spokesperson Lumka Mahanjana.

Sudden death of Steinhoff former CEO

Former Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste reportedly died in March 2024 after the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) slapped him with a penalty of R475 million following its investigation.

It is alleged that Jooste committed suicide after being notified of the arrest warrants secured by the law enforcement agencies, “escaping the hands of justice”, said the NPA.

The Western Cape South African Police Services (Saps) confirmed that an inquest docket was registered at the Hermanus police station following the death of a 63-year-old man on that day.

“It is alleged that the victim sustained a gunshot wound at around 3:20pm at Kwaaiwater and succumbed to death on his way to the hospital. No foul play is suspected at this stage,” Colonel Andre Trout told The Citizen.

First conviction in the case

Making slow progress, the NPA finally secured its first major convictions, including a guilty plea from Jooste’s friend.

Gerhardus Diedricks Burger was arrested by the Hawks on 26 September 2024 and further appeared at the Specialised Commercial Crime Court in Pretoria that day.

The 79-year-old was found guilty of acting on Jooste’s tip-off and sentenced to five years imprisonment for insider trading.

Mahanjana said Burger is required to testify in the criminal proceedings against his accomplices.

“The court issued a confiscation order for €90,000 (about R1.8m) seized by Swiss authorities after the collapse of Steinhoff.

“This is after Dr Burger pleaded guilty to three counts of insider trading and was convicted of such when he appeared in court.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22575220 (131651ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Steinhoff International Holdings Bun / Steinhoff Scandal: four key developments in the 2024 fraud case (Parts 1&2)

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>>281882

“Steinhoff Scandal: four key developments in the 2024 fraud case” 2 of 2

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/steinhoff-scandal-four-key-developments-in-the-2024-fraud-case/

25 Dec 2024

CFO gets five years jail

Furthermore, former Steinhoff CFO Andries “Ben” la Grange was sentenced to ten years imprisonment.

Five years of his sentence was suspended after he pleaded guilty to one count of fraud that involved over R367 million.

La Grange appeared at the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in Pretoria in October, facing charges of racketeering, fraud, and failure to report fraudulent activities.

His sentence marked the second conviction in the NPA’s Steinhoff cases.

Almost R67m from Steinhoff accused forfeited to the state

One of the eighth implicated in the PwC report, accused Stéhan Grobler was stripped R67 million in late October by the South African Reserve Bank.

In addition, Grobler’s R871 652 trust at Momentum Wealth was also confiscated.

The notice of forfeiture was filed in the Government Gazette on 18 October by Fundi Tshazibana the deputy governor of the Prudential Cluster of the South African Reserve Bank.

According to the gazette, Grobler’s holdings include shares in several private businesses, such as Keurview Aandeleblok BPK, and Steff Grobler Beherende (Edms.) BPK, and Suez Beleggings.

Grobler appeared in the Pretoria Specialised Commercial Crimes Court in March on allegations of racketeering, three counts of fraud totalling R21 billion, financial statement manipulation, and failing to disclose fraudulent acts.

He informed the court that he would establish his innocence and would enter a not-guilty plea to the allegations. He was granted R150 000 bail.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22575262 (131658ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Steinhoff International Holdings Bun / Steinhoff collapse becomes a case study in corporate governance gone wrong

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>>281882

>>281883

>>281773

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>>281878

>>281879

>>>/qresearch/22560609

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>Mervyn King: “The company… is the most important citizen in every country in the world”

>Long before the western world adopted ESG as a buzzword in corporate Governance, Professor Mervyn King and his counterparts in South Africa had embraced and develop principles and frameworks for embracing practices that went beyond the financial bottom line.

“Steinhoff collapse becomes a case study in corporate governance gone wrong”

https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/steinhoff-collapse-becomes-a-case-study-in-corporate-governance-gone-wrong/ar-AA1yUZhw

2025/02/12

Several academics and law firms have weighed in on the spectacular collapse of Steinhoff, which resulted in multiple people being arrested for fraud and the company’s listing being removed from both the JSE and Frankfurt Stock Exchange.

Associate Professor and director of Rhodes Business School, Professor Owen Skae, has investigated whether Steinhoff’s board structure contribute to the scandal. His research made the point that, with its primary listing being in Frankfurt and its corporate address in Amsterdam, Steinhoff follows the Dutch corporate governance code.

Previous articles ran by Business Report have shown how Steinhoff only followed corporate governance rules in theory as, in practise, scant regard was paid to business oversight.

The corporate scandal, often called South Africa’s largest, led to then CEO Markus Jooste’s apparent suicide, former directors being arrested, and a massive loss in market value.

Deloitte flagged accounting irregularities in 2017. As a result, between August 2017 and March 2019, Steinhoff lost 97%, or $21 billion (R387bn at today’s rate) of its market capitalisation as investors reacted to the news.

A University of Pennsylvania paper flagged the fact that Markus Jooste had held the role of CEO for nearly 20 years. For many, the paper said, he was seen as a “charismatic” leader and a “retail star” in additionally to being a rand billionaire at Steinhoff’s peak in 2016.

Steinhoff, said the university’s paper, was also not sufficiently transparent with its financial figures. “Steinhoff did not disclose like-for-like growth nor the contribution from acquisitions consistently over time,” it said.

“In addition to M&A, other management actions – including several capital raises, a secondary equity listing in Europe (2015), a shift in its fiscal year end from June to September (June 2016), and an attempted spin-off of its South African business in the weeks before its collapse (October 2017) – obfuscated performance,” the case study noted.

Dhahini Naidu, director at law firm Fairbridges Wertheim Becker has written that Steinhoff’s collapse “sets a precedent for how similar cases might be handled in the future, potentially altering the landscape of corporate governance and legal recourse in South Africa”.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22575400 (131718ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Steinhoff International Holdings Bun / PwC Investigation: Steinhoff booked R6.4bn in revenue for a sale that never happened

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>>281884

“PwC Investigation: Steinhoff booked R6.4bn in revenue for a sale that never happened”

https://www.msn.com/en-za/money/other/pwc-investigation-steinhoff-booked-r6-4bn-in-revenue-for-a-sale-that-never-happened/ar-AA1yILL1

2025/02/10

Under the then Steinhoff CEO Markus Jooste, who apparently killed himself almost a year ago to avoid facing charges of fraud relating to the company’s failure, the company’s European unit claimed fake revenue of R6.4 billion while also engaging in some creative accounting to balance the books.

Steinhoff, which had operations in about 30 countries through some 650 entities, was South Africa’s largest corporate scandal, collapsing after accounting irregularities were uncovered by then auditors, Deloitte, in 2017.

In the 7 000-page PwC report into the wrongdoings at the company, which was officially liquidated on October 13, 2023, the consultancy firm details several accounting shenanigans. One of these included Steinhoff failing to reverse revenue for the sale of an entity that fell through.

Towards the end of 2013, Steinhoff Group entity JDG Trading decided to sell JDCF, which provided unsecured lending to consumers shopping at JD Group outlets – at the time including names such as Joshua Doore.

However, the complexity of the agreements, as well as the number of suitors, created opportunities for Jooste to cook the books, a process that then Steinhoff Europe chief financial officer, Dirk Schreiber, vehemently opposed, saying he could only fix so many mistakes at a given time.

The rationale for the sale was ostensibly to enable JD Group South Africa to focus on its core business of retail through exiting financial services. PwC’s report noted that when the decision was made to sell JDCF, it was making a loss.

Steinhoff acquired the financial services unit when it bought control of JD Group in 2013, subsequently buying the rest of the company it did not own two years later. JD Group is now part of Pepkor, which is owned by Ibex Holdings along with some other former Steinhoff brands.

A decision was made to sell JDCF to BNP Paribas’ South African subsidiary, RCS Cards, in January 2014, a move that was approved by JDG Trading’s board a few months later. This deal was approved by the Competition Commission in May 2015, subject to conditions.

That deal was, in September of the same year, scuppered because of “onerous conditions”. Yet, Steinhoff Europe – a subsidiary of the overall Steinhoff Group – booked revenue of €335 million, or R6.4 billion at current conversion rates, despite this deal being “ultimately abandoned” and did not reverse this amount.

Subsequently, JDCF was sold to a company called Fulcrum FS in January 2016. It was alleged that this sale “contained conditions that were similar to the that JD Group South Africa cited as the reason for abandoning the sale of JDCF to BNP Paribas in September 2015,” the PwC report stated.

However, the commercial rationale for the sale to Fulcrum FS was questionable and was also funded through unsecured loans advanced by the Steinhoff Group.

Around the same time as the JD decisions were being made, in August 2014, Jooste told Schreiber to adjust the books. In an email extracts of which are contained in the PwC report, Jooste wrote: “We have decided to impair JDs book so that it looks good for all the investors that the risk is gone, the amount involved is R3.6bn and you can imagine it makes … Deloitte very happy/comfortable.”

As this would put his “consolidated results out of balance,” Steinhoff would buy back the JDCF book for R6.7bn “so I will recoup R1.850bn in October when they pay but cannot provide for that according to IFRS,” Jooste’s email read.

After some more complicated money manoeuvres, Jooste said that the net effect would be that “we have written off the debtors’ book in this year but achieved our overall group target”.

Schreiber, however, was aghast and said: “Interesting for me, that you cannot book the ‘profit’ for the book you sale [sell] to BNP and your impairment is higher! … I have enough problems to solve.”

The former chief financial officer was not censured by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority as he co-operated, but was found by German courts to be guilty of fraud.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22576233 (131917ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / MTN, led by Zimbabwean exec Ralph Mupita, faces revived $4-billion bribery case

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>>281868

> Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements

>>281869

“MTN, led by Zimbabwean exec Ralph Mupita, faces revived $4-billion bribery case”

https://www.billionaires.africa/2024/09/01/temp-slug-112/

September 1, 2024 . 10:29 AM

• Turkcell continues its legal battle against MTN, seeking R75 billion ($4 billion) in damages over alleged bribery in securing an Iranian license.

• Turkcell appeals a 2022 court ruling that South African courts lack jurisdiction, arguing that the case should be heard locally.

• MTN denies all allegations, citing the Hoffmann Committee’s findings, which cleared it of any wrongdoing in the Iran license deal.

Turkcell, a leading telecommunications company, will return to court next week to continue its long-running legal battle against South Africa’s MTN Group led by Zimbabwean exec Ralph Mupita.

The case involves allegations that MTN engaged in bribery and corruption to secure a telecoms license in Iran in 2005. Turkcell claims that MTN unlawfully obtained the license by paying bribes and other inducements, and seeks at least R75 billion ($4 billion) in damages.

The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein will hear Turkcell’s appeal on Monday and Tuesday. Turkcell argues that a 2022 decision by the high court in Gauteng, which stated that South African courts lack jurisdiction over the case, was incorrect.

This ruling was a setback for Turkcell, but the company continues to push forward. MTN considered the judgment a victory and believed it marked the end of the dispute.

Turkcell’s lawyer, Cedric Soule, insists that the lower court made a mistake. He argues that South African courts should hear the case because it involves South African entities and individuals.

“The merits of the case have never been ruled on,” Soule emphasized. “We want the court to examine the evidence and make a fair decision.”

Turkcell first filed the case in South Africa in November 2013 over the licensing process in Iran. Turkcell alleges that MTN paid bribes to secure a 49 percent stake in Irancell, the consortium awarded the GSM license.

The company also seeks damages from former MTN Group CEO Phuthuma Nhleko and former director Irene Charnley, who were involved in the negotiations. Both Nhleko and Charnley have denied the accusations.

This case carries high stakes for both Turkcell and MTN. Turkcell believes that MTN interfered with its contractual rights and unjustly removed it from the licensing process. The company also insists that the case should be heard in South Africa, where it expects a fair trial, unlike in Iran, where the judiciary lacks independence from the state. Soule emphasized that Turkcell’s allegations involve state interests, making a fair hearing in Iran unlikely.

MTN denies all allegations, citing the findings of the Hoffmann Committee. In 2012, MTN appointed this committee, led by former British jurist Leonard Hoffmann, to investigate Turkcell’s claims.

The committee concluded in 2013 that there was no conspiracy between MTN and Iranian officials and described Turkcell’s allegations as “a fabric of lies, distortions, and inventions.”

The Hoffmann report cleared MTN, Nhleko, and Charnley, finding no evidence of improper payments or promises to secure the license.

After international arbitration efforts failed, Turkcell approached the South African courts. A change in U.S. legislation had affected the jurisdiction of a U.S. court it initially sought for relief.

Turkcell’s U.S. case alleged that MTN conspired with Iranian officials to remove Turkcell from the consortium. It accused MTN of using its influence with the South African government to help Iran procure defense equipment and support its nuclear program.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22576250 (131920ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / Lord Hoffmann clears MTN of wrongdoing in Iran; A look at Lord Hoffmann (video)

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>>281886

> In 2012, MTN appointed this committee, led by former British jurist Leonard Hoffmann, to investigate Turkcell’s claims.

“Lord Hoffmann clears MTN of wrongdoing in Iran”

https://youtu.be/6egPPiV4Cs4

Feb 2, 2013

“A look at Lord Hoffmann”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/235456.stm

Thursday, December 17, 1998 Published at 10:29 GMT

As recently as mid-October he made a ruling opposing an Amnesty position while serving on the judicial committee of the Privy Council.

Born into a Jewish family near Cape Town, Lord Hoffmann was the son of a well-known solicitor. He was educated at Cape Town University and then attended Queen's College, Oxford, as a Rhodes scholar. After being called to the Bar, he became one of the most sought after and highly-priced barristers of his generation and was quickly made a judge.

https://humanevents.com/2025/01/12/90-year-old-foreign-judge-in-hong-kong-extends-term-on-highest-court

01/12/2025

Lord Leonard Hoffmann, a 90-year-old former law lord, has renewed his contract as a judge on Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal, sparking widespread criticism. Hoffmann, the longest-serving of the six foreign judges on the court, agreed to extend his tenure by another three years, a move that has been described as "deplorable" by critics.

Hoffmann’s decision comes at a delicate time for the UK government, coinciding with Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ official visit to Beijing to bolster trade relations with China. The renewal of his contract also follows the resumption of the criminal trial of Jimmy Lai, the millionaire British tycoon who has been charged under Hong Kong’s controversial national security law.

“Lord Hoffmann’s decision to stay on, along with fellow British judge Lord Neuberger and four Australian counterparts, is deplorable,” the group said, adding that “their presence undermines their own judicial integrity and lends credibility to Hong Kong’s unjust crackdown on the pro-democracy movement.”

Hoffman has been on the Hong Kong bench since 1998. The bench was created as part of the 1997 agreement that handed the territory back to China.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22583440 (142027ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / $4 billion legal battle between Turkcell & MTN over “bribes” to Iran

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>>281886

>>281887

“$4 billion legal battle between Turkcell & MTN over “bribes” to Iran”

https://youtu.be/61CnDgsNBsU

Oct 17, 2024

A Supreme Court of Appeal judgment is expected soon in the appeal of a Gauteng High Court decision that South Africans alleged to have bribed foreign government officials are immune from prosecution in South Africa. That court decision is part of an ongoing case between Turkcell and MTN in connection with a GSM license in Iran. In this interview with BizNews, Turkcell’s global counsel Cedric Soule, details allegations of bribery and corruption against MTN to overturn a public tender that it lost for a multi-billion-dollar opportunity to run the Iranian GSM telecom license. “MTN, not happy with having been a runner up, decides to meddle and inserts itself in these negotiations by secretly talking to the Iranian authorities, promising all kinds of things. We say they promised weapons, sort of introductions to weapons companies. They promised to lobby the South African government so that the South African government would take a different position on Iran's nuclear program. And we also allege that MTN paid Iranian and South African authorities bribes... So the judgment of the Supreme Court of Appeal that we're expecting has pretty serious implications, we believe, because it will, we think, set the stage for how bribery and corruption are dealt with in South Africa for years to come.” Turkcell is seeking $4 billion in damages.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22583458 (142031ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / S.Africa's MTN slides on Iran corruption lawsuit (2012)

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>>281888

>>281886

>>281887

“S.Africa's MTN slides on Iran corruption lawsuit” [2012]

https://www.reuters.com/article/business/media-telecom/safricas-mtn-slides-on-iran-corruption-lawsuit-idUSL6E8EU3B4/

March 30, 2012

JOHANNESBURG, March 30 (Reuters) - Shares in MTN Group slid on Friday after rival Turkcell filed a $4.2 billion suit against the South African mobile operator, alleging it bribed officials and lobbied support for Tehran's nuclear programme to win an Iranian licence. [ID:nL6E8ETA6U]

The Turkcell case threatens to tarnish the reputation of both MTN - a black-run company widely seen as a post-apartheid success story - and the South African government, including former President Thabo Mbeki.

Turkcell's suit, backed by a collection of alleged MTN internal documents including emails, invoices, memos and presentations, accuses the South African firm of a "staggeringly brazen orchestra of corruption".

Turkey's largest mobile operator alleges that under a strategic plan code-named "Project Snooker", MTN used corrupt practices to win the licence which had initially been awarded to Turkcell.

MTN owns 49 percent of local unit Irancell, from which it generates nearly 10 percent of its annual revenue.

It notes Iran had initially announced Turkcell as the winning bidder for the Irancell licence in February 2004, following a tender in which multiple companies participated.

"MTN used its high-level political influence within the South African government to offer Iran the two most important items that the country could not obtain for itself: 1) support for the Iranian development of nuclear weapons; and 2) the procurement of high-tech defence equipment".

MTN's strong ties to the government are well documented: the company was set up with government help in 1994 as the first black-owned company after the end of apartheid.

MTN Chairman Cyril Ramaphosa, who is also mentioned in the suit, is a leading member of the ruling ANC.

The lawsuit says MTN promised Iran it could deliver South Africa's vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and that it promised Iran defence equipment otherwise prohibited by international laws. It also accuses MTN of bribing government officials in both Iran and South Africa.

Turkcell alleges that MTN ultimately secured South Africa's abstention on a crucial decision at the IAEA on referring Iran to the United Nations Security Council.

According to the lawsuit, MTN arranged a private meeting between the then South African President Mbeki and Iran's national security advisor and nuclear negotiation chief, Hassan Rowhani.

MTN has set up an independent committee led by UK legal expert Lord Hoffmann to investigate the claims. It has said Turkcell refuses to cooperate with the committee.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22583466 (142032ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / CR-linked MTN tender imposed on municipalities

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>>281889

>>281888

>>281886

>>281887

“CR-linked MTN tender imposed on municipalities”

https://www.iol.co.za/the-star/news/cr-linked-mtn-tender-imposed-on-municipalities-c013a985-6051-4a49-83cd-a0c2437576cf

Published Jun 23, 2024

President Cyril Ramaphosa is once again implicated in a tender for pals scandal.

While South Africans are fixated on the so-called Government of National Unity (GNU) Cabinet appointment, government has closed a three-year deal with telecoms giant MTN which will see about 257 municipalities digitised through the implementation of smart electricity and water technology across the country.

It is reported that MTN Business has been awarded a contact to roll out smart electricity and water technology. Ramaphosa is said to be in the forefront of this deal.

Municipalities believe this new tender is designed to take power from the municipalities and hand it to big business.

It is still not clear how much MTN would pocket from the deal.

Even though, the presidents spokesperson acknowledged that Ramaphosa did have interest in telecoms, he was no longer part of it. “Historically, he was involved in the industry, which is a well-known public fact.”

However, Ramaphosa’s family, through Shanduka, had interests in the telecoms sector in South Africa and Nigeria. It also held a 32.7% interest in a cellphone tower building operation in Nigeria Helios Towers and 12.5% in Seacom, which constructs undersea cables.

Furthermore, He was also a chairperson of MTN Group, the majority owner of the Nigerian operation. He’s business entity Shanduka also purchased shares in MTN Nigeria.

According to the telecoms giant, this would bring “value and impact” to municipalities as well as unlocking the benefits of a modern connected life for households and businesses.

In the meantime, the Department of National Treasury acknowledged that the contract was existing adding that the set contract was publicly advertised on October 10, 2023 and closed on November 10, 2023.

“The contract was awarded on April 25, 2024 as a panel contract to seven (7) service providers. Details regarding the awarding of this bid are available on the National Treasury website on the following link:https://www.treasury.gov.za/divisions/ocpo/ostb/contracts/default.aspx,” National Treasury said.

The contract is expected to run for a period of three years starting from June 1, 2024 to May 31, 2027.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22583475 (142033ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / ANALYSIS: MTN’s history of controversies, violation of Nigeria’s laws (Parts 1&2)

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>>281890

>>281889

>>281888

>>281886

>>281887

“ANALYSIS: MTN’s history of controversies, violation of Nigeria’s laws” 1 of 2

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/283362-analysis-mtns-history-of-controversies-violation-of-nigerias-laws.html?tztc=1

September 13, 2018

MTN Nigeria is steadily, but unconsciously, erecting for itself a notorious reputation for romancing with controversy. It might be a leader in the telecoms sector today (in terms of subscriber base), but since berthing in Nigeria’s shores in 2001, courting controversy has become its second nature.

In less than two decades of operations, MTN’s recurring brushes with the regulatory authorities casts it in a negative frame. Its latest sanction by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for regulatory infractions as well as its being accused by the Attorney General of the Federation of tax evasion only confirms, like the leopard, it never changes its spots.

MTN’s penchant for disobeying established rules of engagement, abuse of laid down procedures, or deliberate subversion of regulatory directives could as much be adversarial to the economy.

Where a leading player see itself above the law and engage in below the line activities, because of what it thinks it has contributed, could be injurious to the economy.

May 16, 2001, MTN launched out as the first GSM network to make a call ahead of ECONET (now Airtel), which got the operational license first from the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Not even NCC’s repeated regulatory directives on the issue could sway MTN from its position. For over three years, MTN creamed off huge profits from the excess costs by millions of its subscribers in per minute calls.

Every SIM card not disconnected before the deadline attracted a fine of N200,000, pursuant to Regulations 19 and 20, Section 15(2) of the Registration of Subscribers Regulations, Act 2011.

For over two years, MTN ignored the regulatory directives. In October 2015, NCC slammed a N1.04 trillion (about $5.2 billion) fine on MTN for failure to disconnect 5.1 million unregistered subscribers’ SIM cards from its network.

Shortly after the fine was announced, MTN stirred another controversy, claiming it got a 35 per cent reduction from the NCC.

Yet, no dice, except another controversy about an alleged bribe to a senior presidency official who allegedly facilitated the reduction in the fine.

To frustrate the enforcement of the fine, MTN began secret moves to transfer funds from its accounts in about 21 commercial banks. But, a ruling by the Federal High Court in Lagos in a case filed by the office of the AGF stopped the move before it went far.

In its 2015 financial statement, MTN Group published massive losses in its operations during the year, citing declining performance in the Nigeria subsidiary based on the regulatory sanctions.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22583481 (142034ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / ANALYSIS: MTN’s history of controversies, violation of Nigeria’s laws (Parts 1&2)

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>>281891

“ANALYSIS: MTN’s history of controversies, violation of Nigeria’s laws” 2 of 2

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/283362-analysis-mtns-history-of-controversies-violation-of-nigerias-laws.html?tztc=1

September 13, 2018

Same year, PREMIUM TIMES uncovered how MTN had been funneling billions of Naira abroad through complicated and obnoxious transfer pricing schemes to deny Nigeria its fair share of tax revenues.

The report showed MTN was shipping the billions to two of its overseas affiliates in tax havens – MTN Dubai and MTN International in Mauritius.

In total, reports said MTN may have wired about N90.2 billion out of Nigeria in management fees alone since arriving the country in 2001.

Apart from transfer pricing, MTN was equally accused of creating artificial operating costs in its operations to swindle Nigeria of more billions by under-declaring its profits for tax purposes.

In 2016, the Senate Committee on Banks, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions probed how MTN, between 2006 and 2016, allegedly repatriated illegally about $13.9billion from Nigeria after side-stepping the due process for issuing Certificates of Capital Importation (CCIs) within 24 hours of conversion.

On August 29 this year, the CBN came out with the report of its March 2018 investigations on the matter.

The report indicted MTN and the four banks (Standard Chartered Bank, Stanbic-IBTC, Citibank, and Diamond Bank) for being complicit in alleged remittance of foreign exchange using irregular CCIs issued on behalf of some of its offshore investors.

Consequently, the CBN sanctioned MTN and the four banks. While the banks were asked to refund a total of N5.87 billion (Standard Chartered N2.4 billion; Stanbic IBTC N1.89billion; Citibank N1.27billion and Diamond Bank N250 million), MTN was to return about $8.134 billion (about N2.5 trillion) to the CBN.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22583494 (142036ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / U.S. Federal Court issues historic ruling permitting anti-terrorism claims against MTN Group to move to Discovery

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>>281891

>>281890

>>281889

>>281888

>>281886

>>281887

“U.S. FEDERAL COURT ISSUES HISTORIC RULING PERMITTING ANTI-TERRORISM CLAIMS AGAINST MTN GROUP TO MOVE TO DISCOVERY”

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/us-federal-court-issues-historic-ruling-permitting-anti-terrorism-claims-against-mtn-group-to-move-to-discovery-301943424.html

Sep 29, 2023, 15:37 ET

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Yesterday, 67 American Gold Star family members, servicemembers, and their families, prevailed in a high-profile Anti-Terrorism Act lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York against MTN Group, South Africa's largest telecom company, and others. The court ruled that the plaintiffs stated a claim against MTN Group under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

The plaintiffs or their family members were injured in a series of terrorist attacks that took place in Iraq and Afghanistan. They allege that MTN Group did business with Iranian entities that served as fronts for the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (the "IRGC"). The plaintiffs claim that MTN knew, or recklessly disregarded, that the entities with which it did business were supporting a terrorist campaign that lasted over a decade, and even went so far as to make an official agreement to support the IRGC's "security" needs–a euphemism for terrorist activities. MTN allegedly provided these Iranian entities with funding, embargoed American technology and equipment, and logistical support. The plaintiffs claim that the technology MTN provided to the IRGC was unique in that it helped terrorists monitor American movements, avoid detection, clandestinely communicate, build and detonate more effective bombs, and develop more lethal rockets.

According to Ryan Sparacino, founding partner of Sparacino PLLC, "Yesterday's ruling was historic because the Court found that plaintiffs stated an Anti-Terrorism Act claim against MTN Group based upon MTN's long-standing joint venture with notorious IRGC front Irancell, and notorious IRGC fronts (and Irancell shareholders), the Foundation for the Oppressed (aka the Bonyad Mostazafan) and Iran Electronics Industries (IEI). This is the first time that any company's direct aid to the IRGC has supplied the basis for liability. As such, yesterday's opinion marks a significant milestone in the ability of American victims of terrorism to hold the IRGC, and its corporate stooges, accountable for their terrorism. Our investigation continues, and so we urge anyone who may have relevant information to consider contacting us."

Sparacino PLLC conducted an exhaustive investigation before filing this case, and the court's Opinion is another step forward in holding MTN Group accountable for its actions and bringing justice to the plaintiffs.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22583503 (142038ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / MH Jonas: Board of Directors, MTN (video)

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>>281893

>>281891

>>281890

>>281889

>>281888

>>281886

>>281887

“Mcebisi Jonas on being offered a job by the Guptas”

https://youtu.be/_bHCHh1cT2k

Mar 16, 2016

Mcebisi Jonas, has confirmed to the SABC he was offered the job of Finance Minister by the Gupta family. He says he rejected it outright. Claims emerged a while ago that Jonas was called in and offered the job while Nhlanhla Nene was Finance Minister. Because he refused, Desmond Van Rooyen, was offered the post. But the Guptas denied any meeting took place. While confirming the meeting with the Guptas, Jonas has denied other claims that ANC Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte had later offered him the same post.

MH Jonas: Board of Directors, MTN

https://group.mtn.com/boardofdirectors/

Appointed

15 December 2019

Other directorships

Director of various companies in the MTN Group. Mcebisi is currently one of four independent Presidential Investment Envoys appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa to attract investors to South Africa.

Skills, expertise and experience

Mcebisi is a former Deputy Finance Minister of the Government of South Africa who served from 2014 to 2017. Before his appointment to national government, he played a key leadership role in the Eastern Cape. He served as a provincial minister of Finance as well as Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism in the province. He also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Eastern Cape Development Corporation as well as Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Investment and Marketing in the Eastern Cape, developing the investment promotion agenda for the province.

https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/president-cyril-ramaphosa-mtn-30-years-celebration-gala-dinner-29-nov-2024

MTN Group Chairman, Mr Mcebisi Jonas

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22583534 (142044ZFEB25) Notable: Final MTN Bun / MTN: President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the 30 years anniversary (video)

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>>281666

>>>/qresearch/20970977

>>>/qresearch/20971014

>>281746

>Nthato Motlana

>>281893

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>>281887

MTN: “President Cyril Ramaphosa attends the 30 years anniversary”

https://youtu.be/3E-AoFvXnRU

Streamed live on Nov 29, 2024

https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/president-cyril-ramaphosa-mtn-30-years-celebration-gala-dinner-29-nov-2024

It is a great honour to celebrate with you three decades of the MTN Group. For me, it feels like a homecoming. The privilege of leading MTN as the Group Chairman was a challenging and immensely rewarding experience.

As a company, MTN has transformed the lives of millions of people in this country and across our continent of Africa.

In many ways, MTN’s journey mirrors the journey of South Africa’s democracy.

At the time of the transition towards democracy in the early 1990s, South Africa was among the most connected nations on the continent with over 3 million landlines.

In these circumstances, it took visionaries like the late Dr Nthato Motlana and Zwelakhe Sisulu to see the potential of mobile technology to close this gap.

Over the past three decades, MTN has evolved from a small South African start-up of 20 employees into a global telecommunications leader which now employs over 17 500 individuals representing more than 70 nationalities across 18 diverse markets. MTN’s many employees are united by a shared belief in the transformative power of technology.

This evening, we recognise the contribution that MTN Group has made to unleashing the potential of African economies. We recognise its contribution to a better and more sustainable world. In countries like South Africa, MTN has sought to ensure that no one is left behind. Its network reaches some 97% of the population, providing a foundation for digital inclusion and economic empowerment. The industry has helped to democratise public goods and services. It has enabled the provision of financial, health, education, social welfare and other service to the most far flung areas.

We are told that by the end of 2025, there will be no less than 613 million unique subscribers in Africa. The mobile sector in Sub-Saharan Africa generated more than 140 billion US dollars of economic value last year

https://www.itweb.co.za/article/ramaphosa-steps-down-as-mtn-chairman/DVgZeyqJRx3qdjX9

06 Mar 2013

JSE-listed MTN, one of Africa's largest networks, says its chairman Cyril Ramaphosa will retire at the annual general meeting to be held on 28 May.

Ramaphosa, who was last year elected as the deputy president of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), was appointed to MTN's board on 1 October 2001 and has been chairman since 2002. He is also chairman of the nominations committee, as well as a member of the remuneration and human resources committee.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22595455 (162023ZFEB25) Notable: Final Expropriation Bun / South Africa to ask China, France and Germany for help

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“South Africa to ask China, France and Germany for help”

https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/812042/south-africa-to-ask-china-france-and-germany-for-help/

16 Feb 2025

A South African delegation will head to several countries in a bid to get support ahead of meetings in the United States, where views on South Africa are quickly souring.

According to the Sunday Times, a top-level team will head to Washington to mend strained relations between the two countries.

However, to avoid humiliation, the team will try and garner support from several international allies and will travel to France, Germany, the EU HQ in Brussels, China, Brazil and other BRICS members first.

The team will be announced this week once President Cyril Ramaphosa returns from the AU summit in Ethiopia.

A senior government official said that stopping in the USA first will likely result in humiliation or the USA simply ignoring South Africa.

South Africa’s relations with the USA have been strained since the signing of the Expropriation Act earlier this year.

Ramaphosa signed the Bill, which will allow the state to expropriate land for the “public interest.”

https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/south-africa-sends-heavyweight-delegation-to-us-for-damage-control-talks-ba97a4e7-bccf-4047-8c1b-84240947caed

Political analyst attached to The Tshwane University of Technology, Dr John Malope said it is important for Ramaphosa to reveal who he is sending as part of the delegation and why.

“The delegation's mission is to counter the biggest diplomatic crisis South Africa has faced since democracy in 1994…As the team prepares for its diplomatic offensive, South Africa has been assured of support from some quarters in the US and is determined to defend its sovereignty and interests on the global stage, but the president has not been reassuring.

“President Ramaphosa has to let us know what is going to happen. He is being weak about this,” Molepo said.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22601268 (171931ZFEB25) Notable: Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST): Honorary Board and Board of Directors

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>>>/qresearch/22601208

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Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST): Honorary Board and Board of Directors

https://adst.org/about-adst/board-of-directors-2/

Honorary Board

Hillary Clinton

Condoleezza Rice

Colin L. Powell

Madeleine K. Albright

James A. Baker III

George P. Shultz

Henry A. Kissinger

Some Board of Directors

Hilda M. Arellano was the Director of the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative (SINSI) at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School from 2014 to 2016 following her retirement from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Her last assignment for USAID was as the Senior Development Advisor at the State Department’s Foreign Service Institute.

John B. Bellinger III is a partner in the international law and national security practices of Arnold & Porter LLP in Washington, DC. He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow in International and National Security Law at the Council on Foreign Relations. Mr. Bellinger served as The Legal Adviser for the U.S. Department of State under Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice from 2005 to 2009… Special Counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (1996); and Special Assistant to Director of Central Intelligence William Webster (1988-1991).

James A. Bever has served for 35 years as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Sundaa Bridgett-Jones, as Managing Director for Policy & Coalitions, leads The Rockefeller Foundation’s support of policy innovations to help solve pressing global issues including equitable economic development, green energy transitions, state fragility, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Prior to this portfolio, she led aspects of the Foundation’s resilience work, leveraged a $160 million investment to launch a global resilience initiative to transform humanitarian and development aid delivery in Africa and Asia, and oversaw the development of a City Resilience Index, which has influenced the climate resilience work of Fortune 500 companies and over 100 cities… As an International Affairs Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, she researched and wrote about U.S. foreign policy and democracy promotion after a decade of leading democratic governance initiatives at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). During her time at USAID, Sundaa served in the Middle East, Southern Africa, and Central Asia.

Dr. Esther Brimmer: From 1995-1999 she was a Senior Associate at the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, an operating program of Carnegie Corporation of New York. She was a senior advisor at McLarty Associates in 2015-2016; and an associate at McKinsey & Company 1989-1991. She is a member of the Trilateral Commission and the Atlantic Council. She is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where she has also been an adjunct senior fellow.

Lauri Fitz-Pegado: Cultural and commercial diplomacy are the hallmarks of Lauri’s career working at the Voice of America, the U.S. Information Agency, and serving as a Foreign Service Officer.

Peter R. Reams: A member of the Senior Foreign Service, Mr. Reams served in a wide range of policy and management positions in Washington and overseas through a career of nearly thirty years. His early assignments included tours as political officer at the U.S. Mission to the European Communities in Brussels, where he had lead reporting responsibility for EC ministerial meetings and summits, and in London, where he again covered European Community issues, as well as Northern Ireland and US-UK cooperation against terrorism. His domestic assignments included tours as a Secretariat Staff line officer, traveling in support of Secretary Kissinger and President Ford; country desk officer (United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Sweden, and Namibia)

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22606966 (181805ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun / George Shultz: Bechtel Corporation

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>>281899

>George P. Shultz

“George Shultz Reflects on the History of Global Governance”

https://youtu.be/isvyhpRh66g

Feb 8, 2021

In remembrance of George P. Shultz, we present his reflections on the history of global governance. This video was produced in 2017. George P. Shultz served as the 60th United States Secretary of State, from July 16, 1982 – January 20, 1989.

1:49 – “We have to re-energize things like the Bretton Woods system.”

George Shultz: Bechtel Corporation

https://www.freetochoosenetwork.org/programs/turmoil_triumph/explore/shultz/bechtel.php

George Shultz has a long history with the Bechtel Corporation. Time offers a tidy account of Shultz’s Bechtel years in a 1982 article – upon his appointment as Secretary of State:

“Shultz resigned as Treasury Secretary in 1974 to join Bechtel, one of the world's largest construction and engineering conglomerates. He became president the following year. Among its projects: the Hoover Dam, the Washington and San Francisco subway systems, 84 nuclear power plants, and the $20 billion Jubail Project, which is creating a new industrial metropolis in the sands of Saudi Arabia. Among his other duties, Shultz acts as a kind of secretary of state of the privately held, San Francisco-based company under Chairman Stephen Bechtel. His tasks as president of the group include coordinating international projects, articulating company policy and developing strategy for future markets. Half the company's revenue comes from abroad.”

George Shultz retired from the Bechtel Board of Directors in April 2009. Bechtel honors Shultz’s leadership on their website:

“When Shultz joined Bechtel in 1974 as executive vice president, he already had experienced and accomplished more at age 53 than most do in a lifetime. A renowned economist, distinguished statesman, and extraordinary business leader, Shultz’s career encompassed academia, government, and industry. As dean of the University of Chicago’s business school, he advised the nation’s leaders. As secretary of state under President Reagan, he helped keep America strong and at peace. As president (1975 to 1982), director, and senior counselor at Bechtel, he shared his wisdom, dedication, energy, and intelligence for more than a quarter of a century.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22606970 (181806ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun / The Bechtel Story The Most Secret Corporation and How It Engineered the World

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>>281902

”The Worst Scandal Was Lack of Imagination : FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES The Bechtel Story The Most Secret Corporation and How It Engineered the World”

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-05-08-bk-3619-story.html

May 8, 1988 12 AM PT

Two days after the fatal collapse of a Big Dig tunnel, investigators and an angry public are turning their sights on the project manager, Bechtel Group of San Francisco.

And for the secretive, politically-wired, family-controlled company, it won't be the first time in an uncomfortable spotlight.

From San Francisco to Saudi Arabia, the Bechtel Group Inc. has left its mark around the world. Yet the privately owned Bechtel Group is one of the country’s most mysterious operations-or was, until the publication of Laton McCartney’s critical and controversial “Friends in High Places.”

Those who believe that “Dynasty” and “Falcon Crest” describe life at the top of America’s corporate pyramids will find a picture here that makes the most far-fetched TV plots look dull. One Bechtel executive was torn to pieces by an angry mob; another, kidnaped, survived two days in the trunk of a Mercedes that had been driven over the edge of a cliff but caught on an obstacle half way down. Wheeling and dealing from Beirut to the Bohemian Grove, Bechtel executives fought off Arab and Jewish nationalists, angry senators, bitter business rivals, and furious consumer groups to build the world’s largest construction and engineering firm.

As McCartney tells it, Bechtel can make Ewing Oil look like a model corporate citizen. Even the most jaded will gasp at revelations of Bechtel’s ties with the CIA, its scandal-plagued relations with the Export-Import Bank and its even more scandalous involvement with the nuclear power industry. All but the truly bigoted will be depressed by the accounts of racist, anti-Semitic, homophobic and misogynist attitudes and practices that over the years created serious legal and public relations problems for the company.

Perhaps not surprisingly, given this background, the Reagan Administration at times resembled a meeting of the Bechtel Alumni Assn. Caspar Weinberger left his post as general counsel for Bechtel to head up the Defense Department; George Shultz was president of the Bechtel Group before going to State. As McCartney points out, the revolving door between government and Bechtel works the other way, too. Two presidents of the Export-Import Bank approved numerous government-funded loans for Bechtel customers before leaving government for posts at Bechtel.

https://www.peoplesworld.org/article/bechtel-the-evil/

The company was forced to halt construction after Iraq invaded Kuwait because Saddam began arresting Bechtel employees.

At this point Rumsfeld and other U.S. officials could hardly control their anger as major contracts with Hussein were lost to companies from France, Russia, and China. So Rumsfeld and his corporate friends, including George Shultz from Bechtel, demanded that “Hussein must go.”

In March 2003 the Bush administration attacked Iraq and heavily bombed water production facilities. In April 2003 the administration awarded Bechtel a $680 million contract to rebuild Iraq’s water systems.

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP88-01070R000100250003-5.pdf

June 25, 1982

As for the CIA, Bechtel, in years past, had very close ties with the CIA, through Douglas Dillon, who was one of Stephen Bechtel Senior's very good friends, through John McCone, who went from Bechtel to the CIA, and John Simpson, who went from the CIA to Bechtel. There's been a lot of interaction between Bechtel and the CIA.

The only ties, the active ties that we were able to document between Bechtel and the CIA - they do it very well, covering their documentation. The only thing we were able to tie was Bechtel's connection with the CIA in Libya, where they made some deals there, through the CIA, in the construction of some gas pipelines.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22607000 (181812ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun / Bechtel and the Reagan Cabinet

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>>281903

>>281902

“Bechtel and the Reagan Cabinet”

https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP88-01070R000100240033-3.pdf

June 28, 1982

DAN RATHER: Many of the concerns that have been voiced about the choice of George Schultz to succeed Secretary of State Haig center on future US policy toward Israel, mostly because Schultz's company, Bechtel, does so much business with Arabs.

Richard Nixon, who met in Paris today with French President Mitterand, says that he knows Schultz well from his White House days, and Mr. Nixon said that Schultz will be neither pro-Arabic nor pro-Israeli. Mr. Nixon added, in a narrow sense he's going to be pro-peace. As for who will shape policy, Mr. Nixon had this.

RICHARD NIXON: I've noticed the conjecture with regard to what's going to happen in the Mideast, what's going to happen to the Alliance, what's going to happen on East-West relations and so forth. Is it going to be the Haig policy or is it going to be the Schultz policy. Whether it's going to be President Reagan's policy. Secretary Schultz has his views. He will express them very strongly and very firmly to President Reagan. But in the final analysis, President Reagan will call the shots.

RATHER: George Schultz's nomination as Secretary of State casts a spotlight on the low profile firm for which he's been working. Founded in California 84 years ago, quote, "to build a few miles of railroad track", the Bechtel Corporation today is a multi-billion dollar international giant. It's been called a quintessentially American plan of dam builders, mine diggers, and openers up for the wilderness. Bechtel's also been called one of the most successful and secretive companies in its business.

Now Linda Douglas looks at the privately-held concern and its contributions to the Reagan cabinet.

LINDA DOUGLAS: Here at the corporate headquarters in San Francisco there is a motto. "Bechtel Builds". And it does, as one of the nation's biggest, richest engineering and construction companies, with projects in 100 foreign countries. But some say Bechtel is more than a business. With its vast, secret holdings it is like a separate country.

DOUGLAS: Bechtel's first giant project was purely American, the Hoover Dam, then the biggest government construction project ever done. That same year, completion of the Oakland Bay Bridge, a masterpiece of modern engineering. Bechtel has built half of the nation's nuclear power plants, developed the Alaska pipeline, and built major subways and oil drilling platforms in the North Sea. Now Bechtel appears to be building a bridge to the Reagan Administration by contributing key executives to the cabinet. Former General Counsel Caspar Weinberger, now Secretary of Defense; former executive W. Kenneth Davis, now UnderSecretary of Energy; and former Bechtel President, George Schultz, nominated to be Secretary of State. Bechtel is so international it almost needs its own foreign policy. Schultz's critics worry that policy may become the nation's. For example, Bechtel has a close relationship with Saudi Arabia, building energy projects and airports, and now the most ambitious undertaking yet, a city for 300,000 to be completed in ten years. Bechtel lobbied for the sale of AWACs radar jets to the Saudis, and in 1976 was accused of participating in an Arab embargo of Israel.

SENATOR ALAN CRANSTON: What we have to ascertain is really what his views are of Middle East policy, whether they change now that he becomes Secretary of State from the time when he was President of the Bechtel Corporation.

DOUGLAS: Because of its secrecy, Bechtel has long been rumored to have links to the CIA. A former Bechtel executive, John McCone became head of the CIA, and another CIA Director, Richard Helms, is a Bechtel consultant.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22607004 (181813ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun / Schultz meets with leader of ANC rebels in South Africa, 1987

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>>281904

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>>281902

“SHULTZ MEETS WITH LEADER OF (ANC) REBELS IN SOUTH AFRICA” 1987

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/29/world/shultz-meets-with-leader-of-rebels-in-south-africa.html

• Jan. 29, 1987

Emerging from a 50-minute meeting with Mr. Shultz, Mr. Tambo said he had also urged a broadening of the American sanctions.

The meeting marked the first time any Secretary of State had met with Mr. Tambo, whose organization, which advocates voting rights for blacks and an end to apartheid in South Africa, is banned by the Pretoria authorities. It also was an indication that the United States recognizes the A.N.C. as a central factor in the South Africa struggle and is willing to engage in discussions with the organization.

Mr. Shultz's decision to meet with Mr. Tambo drew strong criticism from the Conservative Caucus, which condemned the A.N.C. for both its use of violence and its ties to the Soviet Union. Senator Bob Dole, Republican of Kansas, said yesterday that he feared that the session would be seen as showing approval for terrorism.

During his visit to Washington, Mr. Tambo has endorsed the use of violence in the struggle against apartheid.

Apartheid is inherently a practice of violence, he said yesterday in a speech at Georgetown University. We choose not to submit but to fight back, arms in hand. We have no alternative but to intensify our armed resistance because, as your Declaration of Independence says, in the face of systematic tyranny, it becomes a duty and a right to take up arms.

He told reporters that the A.N.C. was indebted to the Soviet Union for providing arms, but he stressed that non-military assistance had also come from Norway, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands and other Western countries.

https://www.sahistory.org.za/dated-event/president-p-w-botha-offers-nelson-mandela-conditional-release-prison

On 31 January 1985 State President P. W. Botha offers Nelson Mandela, leader of the banned African National Congress (ANC), conditional release from the prison sentence he had been serving since the conclusion of the Rivonia Trial in 1964. The condition of his release is that he renounces violence, and violent protest, as a means to bring about change in South Africa. Mandela communicates his refusal of the offer through his daughter, Zindzi Mandela, who reads his statement to this effect at a rally in Soweto on 10 February 1985.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22607011 (181815ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun / Africa: Bechtel Offering 'Fast Track' Solutions for Large-Scale Projects Across the Continent

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>>281905

“Africa: Bechtel Offering 'Fast Track' Solutions for Large-Scale Projects Across the Continent”

https://allafrica.com/stories/201610171453.html

17 October 2016

New York — As an indication of rising interest in Africa by the U.S. engineering and construction giant Bechtel, the company's president for Africa is relocating from London to Nairobi. Bechtel is the ninth largest privately-owned American corporation, according to Forbes. Andrew Patterson took up the Africa post in 2015 after serving with the firm in Kosovo, Panama and Iceland. During last month's U.S. Africa Business Summit in New York, Patterson joined President Obama's Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa. He talked with AllAfrica about Bechtel's approach to doing business and plans for an expanded presence in Africa.

Bechtel has been in Africa for over 70 years now, working with most countries in Africa at some period through that time. We're building on what we've done in Africa, looking at the needs of governments. What are they looking for? They need the next generation of infrastructure to build their economies. Some of those projects can be self-financed under a PPP [public-private partnership] model and a lot of projects can't.

We're focused on early engagement with governments, figuring out ways of structuring deals that they need to move forward with large projects where it makes sense that we can bring value. We bring value in finding creative solutions on how to structure works and obtain financing. We help governments look at the right structure for those projects and how can they work with the private sector to create the best model to move forward quickly to deliver the next-generation infrastructure they're looking for.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22607023 (181817ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun / Bechtel.org Partners with USAID to Support Food Security in Zambia

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>>281903

>>281904

>>281905

>>281906

“Bechtel.org Partners with USAID to Support Food Security in Zambia”

https://www.bechtel.com/newsroom/press-releases/bechtel-org-partners-with-usaid-to-support-food-security-in-zambia/

15 December 2022

Public-private partnership approach to maximize sustainable impacts across Africa

On December 14, 2022, during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit USAID announced a partnership with Bechtel to support infrastructure development critical to food security in Zambia that can be scaled across Africa.

Bechtel’s Manager of Corporate Relations, Stu Jones, said: “Public-private partnerships maximize sustainable impacts in addressing critical infrastructure development challenges in Africa. We are proud of bechtel.org's partnerships with USAID and other businesses in Zambia and across the continent – our efforts will save lives, improve the future of the continent, and ensure sustainable outcomes.”

A public-private partnership approach will increase efficiency, align with the USAID and African governments’ development strategies, speed up solutions, transition to local ownership, and ensure return on moderate investment with scalable impact. USAID business partners will explore ways to implement similar programs across the continent and across sectors that need support and development.

About bechtel.org: As a social enterprise, bechtel.org was established to deliver Impact Infrastructure to help improve the lives of people. Every project starts with a social need – for example, tackling life-threatening illnesses or establishing a safe haven for women to prosper. From there, we work closely with local communities, agencies, and experts, and draw upon Bechtel’s global engineering, construction, and project management experience to develop a framework for project delivery. To date, bechtel.org implemented projects aimed at reversing the rising number of illnesses and deaths brought on by extreme frost in the Peruvian Andes and integrating nature-based solutions to bolster flood resilience in India.

About the food security project in Zambia: USAID, through the Prosper Africa Initiative, is partnering with Bechtel’s social enterprise bechtel.org, agribusiness/energy firm AfricaGlobal Schaffer, and South Africa-based firm Export Trading Group and its social impact arm, Empowering Farmers Foundation, to address the global food security crisis.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22607083 (181828ZFEB25) Notable: Final Cyril Ramaphosa Bun / Ramaphosa Won’t Like What’s Coming (video)

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>>281907

>Bechtel.org Partners with USAID to Support Food Security in Zambia

“ERROL MUSK UNLEASHED: Ramaphosa Won’t Like What’s Coming!”

https://youtu.be/kmmhXfAdrgM

Feb 15, 2025

Errol Musk sat down with us to discuss the clash between Cyril Ramaphosa and Elon Musk, potential future solutions, Keir Starmer, and who is truly to blame for the fallout.

Errol Musk is Elon Musk’s father.

17:34 – “Elon said to me the other day that Dad of that half a million, we estimate 10% reaches where it supposed to go in South Africa. So after $500 million about 50 million… reaches where it’s meant to go. The rest is going into HIV treatment centers in people’s pockets. They’ve got these little HIV treatment centers in their pockets and that’s where the money is going if you get my drift.”

22:04 – “I know that this country’s State-owned land is huge. There’s 40% of the country’s land is owned by the state. So why don’t they just give farms to these people?”

27:02 – “Which enabled the Zambians with 1 500 Kwachas or R3 to buy for R10 a bag of maize meal – a big bag of maize meal with a big American flag on it which said “Gift of the people of the United States to the people of the Zambian Republic” and Zambian government sold that to the people for R2. In fact it was a gift but they sold it to them.”

28:41 – “As I sit here right now, if you can get a job in Zimbabwe, you’d be lucky to get US$10 a month. Right now. That’s why they are streaming down here [South Africa] because here they can make $30 a day. In Zim $10 a month… You know how they get here? They walk or take a bus. They suffer to get here. They never see their children for a year at a time just so that they can come and work for the white people in this area because black people do not employ black people. They don’t employ black people.”-

37:17 – “What’s happened now with Trump being elected that’s like a domino effect. So now you’re going to see the domino effect and it’s gong to run right through Europe.”

54:31 – “Elon is at the moment running the American government of where it’s needed to be run, let’s say. I mean he’s doing it where it’s on the front line. He’s in the front line there… He’s got a lot of people at the back, you know all the Majors and Colonels and Generals of course they’re always at the back and the okes on the front line… This little okey from Pretoria. Quite funny.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22607752 (182032ZFEB25) Notable: “They Lied to You By Blaming Afriforum (Evidence Provided); US Congress pulls SA through the gutter in latest letter to President Trump (Parts 1&2; video)

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“They Lied to You By Blaming Afriforum (Evidence Provided)”

https://youtu.be/feZIbMbGV_o

Premiered 8 hours ago

The Mainstream Media in South Africa has been lying to their readers/viewers by not providing them with critical information out of the United States. It's quite clear that Afriforum has never been the reason why Trump signed an executive order. Even the Biden Administration was considering removing South Africa from AGOA.

“US Congress pulls SA through the gutter in latest letter to President Trump” 1 of 2

https://www.biznews.com/global-citizen/2025/02/18/us-congress-letter-president-trump

18th February 2025

Dear Mr. President [Donald Trump],

The Golden Age of America has begun. In a matter of weeks, you have rejuvenated the American spirit. Countries whose governments have routinely undermined our national interest have met the full throttled resolve of this American government, and you have continued to defend the people of our great nation without question and without apology. These remarkable accomplishments notwithstanding, however, the Republic of South Africa is in apparent need of a reminder of what happens when American interests are marginalized. Due to its numerous human rights abuses, its vendetta against the State of Israel, and its embrace of the Chinese Communist Party, we urge you to revoke South Africa’s preference benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). We would also suggest that you consider suspending diplomatic ties unless that government is prepared to engage constructively with our own.

The ethnonationalist gangster regime in Pretoria, working to be the undisputed successor to Mao’s destructive land reform policies, has for years attempted to expropriate land from native South Africans without compensation.1 Pretoria’s human rights abuses against her own citizens constitute a likely violation of 19 U.S.C. 3703 – specifically, that the South African government has failed to demonstrate a consistent fidelity to the rule of law. Violation of this (or any) AGOA eligibility requirement would make South Africa ineligible for preference benefits. First passed in 2000, AGOA affords eligible sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to the U.S. for most exports, in return for prioritizing free markets and the rule of law. Importantly, however, even the previous administration’s own assessment of South Africa’s human rights practices found significant abuses, including unlawful or arbitrary killings, arbitrary arrest or detention, serious government corruption, trafficking in persons, and extensive gender-based violence, including femicide.2

Pretoria’s continued insistence on undermining American security and foreign policy interests are similarly disqualifying under the eligibility requirements. In 2023, after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and murdered 1,200 Jews (and captured hundreds of hostages, including Americans), South Africa filed a baseless claim before the so-called International Court of Justice, absurdly accusing Israel of wanting to “[destroy] the Palestinians in Gaza.”3 A November 2024 report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) further highlighted the extent to which Hamas maintained close ties with the then-ruling party of South Africa, the African National Congress.4 In fact, South Africa has for over a decade allowed two Hamas-controlled “charities,” the Al-Aqsa Foundation and the Al-Quds Foundation, to operate within its borders.5 For decades, officials of the South African government have acted as Hamas propagandists, urging the international community to lift trade sanctions and otherwise engage with the U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization.6

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22607762 (182032ZFEB25) Notable: “They Lied to You By Blaming Afriforum (Evidence Provided); US Congress pulls SA through the gutter in latest letter to President Trump (Parts 1&2; video)

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>>281909

“US Congress pulls SA through the gutter in latest letter to President Trump” 2 of 2

https://www.biznews.com/global-citizen/2025/02/18/us-congress-letter-president-trump

18th February 2025

In October 2024, several Members of Congress sent a letter to your predecessor and encouraged him to confront South Africa over its self-abasing advocacy of the Chinese Communist Party. At that point, South Africa had, without cause and in violation of a 26-year-old agreement, told Taiwan to move its representative office (which it owns) out of Pretoria. After a few months, South Africa has once again renewed its “request”, telling Taiwan – at the behest of the People’s Republic of China, no doubt – to move out by March 31, 2025. The PRC’s unabashed global commitment to Taiwan’s diplomatic marginalization, if successful, would provide every reason for the PRC to commit to an invasion of the island. This would be contrary to our national interest and the interests of those who prioritize peace over conflict.

South Africa is simply not deserving of duty-free access to the American market. After four years of a government that emboldened our enemies, Americans are thrilled to have a President willing to punish our adversaries and promote the national interest. We appreciate your consideration of our request and thank you for your extraordinary efforts on behalf of our fellow citizens – the United States of America is safer and stronger because of your generational leadership.

Very Respectfully,

Andrew Ogles, Member of Congress

Tom Tiffany, Member of Congress

Joe Wilson, Member of Congress

Don Bacon, Member of Congress

Sources:

1. https://x.com/TrumpDailyPosts/status/188619519879303205Z

2. https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/south-africa/

3. https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/11/middleeast/south-africa-israel-genocide-icj-hague-day-one-intl/index.html

4. https://isgap.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/SA_Report_Final_121124-1.pdf

5. Ibid, Page 36

6. https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2015/10/23/warming-ties-between-hamas-and-south-africa/

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22608896 (182345ZFEB25) Notable: Final Commodities Bun / Broke Zimbabwe to pay $3bn to white landowners whose farms State seized (video)

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“Zimbabwe to Pay Displaced, Foreign White Farmers After Trump-south Africa Row |Firstpost Africa|N18G”

https://youtu.be/xJ5FtP6RO9Y

Feb 13, 2025

“Broke Zimbabwe to pay $3bn to white landowners whose farms State seized”

https://www.msn.com/en-xl/africa/top-stories/broke-zimbabwe-to-pay-3bn-to-white-landowners-whose-farms-state-seized/ar-AA1z62TR

2/15/2025

Zimbabwe has started paying compensation to foreign landowners whose commercial farms were seized during a chaotic land reform programme two decades ago.

The southern African country, which is suffocating under a debt of $21 billion, has committed to pay over $3 billion in compensation to white Zimbabweans who lost their farms during the agrarian reforms.

Finance minister Mthuli Ncube said at least $21 million out of $146 million owed to owners of seized farms that were under Bilateral Investment Protection Agreements (Bippas) will be paid this year while the balance will be covered over the next four years. “I am pleased to announce that the compensation has begun,” Prof Ncube said.“We believe that this process is crucial for building trust, honouring our commitments and ensuring consistency with our Constitution as we address Zimbabwe’s debt challenge. The payments towards the compensation of investors under Bippa protection began in the second week of January 2025. Payments are being made to the claimants’ bank accounts of choice.”He said the payments to farm owners under Bippas marked a critical step in Zimbabwe’s Arrears Clearance and Debt Resolution Process that is being championed by African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina.

In 2019, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government agreed to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to local white farmers who lost their land during the land reforms while foreign white farmers were allowed to apply to get their seized properties back.

Zimbabwe’s announcement that it was finally paying the compensation was welcomed by Harare-based ambassadors of Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland.“The framework established by the government of Zimbabwe leading to the full compensation of affected Bippa farmers protected under Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements, is indeed a historic achievement,” the ambassadors said in a joint statement.“Several affected investors have received initial payouts and an emerging sense of closure exists. It marks a significant milestone and we consider it a very encouraging step towards a comprehensive and fair settlement for farmers and investors in Zimbabwe, be it in terms of financial compensation or land tenure.”Zimbabwe has been introducing a raft of agrarian reforms as part of engagements set by creditors to kick-start negotiations for the arrears clearance and these measures include compensating former landowners and giving title deeds to beneficiaries of the land redistribution programme.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22611585 (191311ZFEB25) Notable: National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza announces budget speech postponement

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“National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza announces budget speech postponement”

https://www.ewn.co.za/2025/02/19/national-assembly-speaker-thoko-didiza-announces-budget-speech-postponement

19 February 2025

JOHANNESBURG - In an unprecedented move - National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza has just announced that the budget speech will not be taking place as planned today.

Finance minister Enoch Godongwana was meant to take to the podium at 2pm - to deliver the first budget under the government of national unity.

This meant - for the first time since democracy – Godongwana had to consider not only the ANC and its alliance but also coalition partners – all of whom have already indicated they won’t support higher taxes.

https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/2025-02-19-budget-speech-cancelled-following-dispute-over-vat/

National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza announced after 2pm on Wednesday that Godongwana would no longer deliver the speech.

"We have decided to adjourn proceedings for a date to be determined by the programming committee," she said.

The government has called an urgent media briefing at 3pm.

Earlier in the day, President Cyril Ramaphosa called an urgent cabinet meeting which caused a delay to the start of proceedings.

It is understood that some of the government of national unity partners were not happy with a proposal to increase VAT by 2% to 17%.

The new proposed date for the budget speech will be on March.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22618768 (201422ZFEB25) Notable: Final DRC & Rwanda Bun / The Truth of the DRC vs. Rwanda Story (video)

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The Truth of the DRC vs. Rwanda Story

https://youtu.be/EmP7uqkssFQ

Feb 18, 2025

1:18 – “From the 14th century a kingdom name the Kingdom of Rwanda grew and became dominant under the leadership of the Nyiginya clan who were from the Tutsi tribe. How did it grow you might be wondering? Well it grew by either assimilation or conquest of course. The same way that all nations and all kingdoms have risen over the history of all mankind, all over the world. They simply took what wasn’t theirs and made it theirs. Don’t let anyone tell you that Africa was kind and peaceful and free before the colonial era. Don’t believe that lie. Remember these are periods when there were no civil rights to speak of. No one could utter the words, “I know my rights” because they had no rights.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22621500 (202142ZFEB25) Notable: Remarks from Minister Naledi Pandor and Dr. Riad Malki, Palestine foreign affairs minister (video)

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>>>/qresearch/22459238

>“THE U.N.'S WAR AGAINST THE WEST” [1985]; “The United Nations is actively supporting armed warfare and revolution”

>>>/qresearch/22621364

>Naledi Pandor

>>281875

>>>/qresearch/22427590

>>>/qresearch/22432203

>>>/qresearch/22445943

>>>/qresearch/22445976

>>281855

>>>/qresearch/22532642

>>>/qresearch/22532650

>>>/qresearch/22532662

>>>/qresearch/22532666

>John Dugard

"Remarks from Minister Naledi Pandor and Dr. Riad Malki, Palestine foreign affairs minister"

https://youtu.be/nvD1pEfO9DY

Oct 8, 2021

“Statement by Dr. Riad Malki, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the State of Palestine before virtual side event: “The importance of upholding the principles of self-determination and non-discrimination justice for the Palestinian people”

https://www.mofa.pna.ps/en-us/mediaoffice/ministernews/statement-by-dr-riad-malki-minister-of-foreign-affairs-and-expatriates-of-the-state-of-palestine-before-virtual-side-event-the-importance-of-upholding-the-principles-of-self-determination-and-non

Tuesday, 8th June 2021

Honorable, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of Namibia,

Honorable, Naledi Pandor , Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa,

Dear Friend, Professor John Dugard,

Allow me at the outset to thank the Permanent Missions of South Africa and Namibia and Nelson Mandela Foundation for hosting this timely and important event. It is an honor to be in the presence of such esteemed speakers and friends of Palestine.

Moreover, we are hopeful because the continued Palestinian popular resistance, led by our youths, from the alleys of the Old City of Jerusalem to the valleys of Jericho, and from the coasts of Gaza to the ruins of Lifta and the refugee camps in exile, clearly demonstrate that the Palestinian people, and despite over seven decades of relentless Israeli attempts to deprive us of our homeland and erase our presence, history, traditions and national movement, remain rooted in their lands and unified in their struggle towards liberation.

Indeed, states must uphold their obligations vis-à-vis the Palestinian people, including the millions of Palestine refugees, and help them realize justice and realize their inalienable rights to self-determination and non-discrimination. This is critically important not just for Palestine but for the validity and continued viability of the rules-based international order.

So today, I put before you actionable steps that you can take to help end Israel’s illegal occupation and dismantle its apartheid regime in Palestine. These steps are:

1. Recognize that Israel’s occupation of Palestine is illegal. This is a necessary first step;

2. Foster support and mobilize solidarity amongst UN Member States, political groupings and peoples for Palestinian rights;

3. Challenge Israel’s colonial-apartheid regime, including through defunding it by stopping all arms trade and military “assistance” to Israel;

4. Boycott all products produced on stolen Palestinian land or by illegally exploited Palestinian natural resources, including water;

5. Boycott all companies and institutions that profiteer from the entrenchment of Israel’s colonial regime;

6. Take bilateral and multilateral action to isolate the Israeli colonial-apartheid regime, including comprehensive and mandatory sanctions;

7. Support the State of Palestine’s legal endeavors to hold Israel accountable for its crimes, including by considering actions at the ICC and ICJ;

8. Hold states that continue to support and fund this illegal situation to account, morally, politically, and legally;

9. Question Israel’s credentials to the UN and other international organizations;

10. Reanimate political and multilateral process based on international law and UN resolutions;

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22621522 (202146ZFEB25) Notable: John Dugard, among others, defended the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation which created Hamas

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>>281875

>>>/qresearch/22427590

>>>/qresearch/22432203

>>>/qresearch/22445943

>>>/qresearch/22445976

>>281855

>>>/qresearch/22532642

>>>/qresearch/22532650

>>>/qresearch/22532662

>>>/qresearch/22532666

>>281914

>Dear Friend, Professor John Dugard,

John Dugard, among others, defended the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation which created Hamas

https://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2014/01/03/mb-legal-team-files-complaint-to-international-criminal-court/

January 3, 2014

The international legal team representing the Muslim Brotherhood has filed a complaint to the International Criminal Court, reported state-owned media agency MENA.

The Brotherhood’s legal team includes former Director of Public Prosecutions of England and Wales Lord Ken MacDonald, South African International Lawyer and former UN Human Rights Special Rapporteur Professor John Dugard and human rights specialist Michael Mansfield.

https://www.dni.gov/nctc/groups/hamas.html

HAMAS formed in late 1987 at the beginning of the first Palestinian intifada (uprising). Its roots are in the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it is supported by a robust sociopolitical structure inside the Palestinian territories.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22628048 (212056ZFEB25) Notable: Final ANC Bun / South African Minister Naledi Pandor speaks on international solidarity and a new world order (video)

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>>>/qresearch/22621364

>>281914

>>>/qresearch/22627544

“South African Minister Naledi Pandor speaks on international solidarity and a new world order”

https://youtu.be/vIMUDRnszKA

Oct 22, 2023

Speaking on the opening day of the III International Dilemmas of Humanity Conference, the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Naledi Pandor, urged progressive groups to unite and strengthen international solidarity.

0:14 – “In 2021 I was sitting a Summit of the Executive Council of the African Union and it was whispered to me that the African Union Commission Chairperson had issued an invitation to Israel to become an observer at the African Union. Imagine my horror.”

9:07 – “What we are seeing in the world is an increasing pushback against the forces that seek to promote collective action, international solidarity and global cooperation. We see the reemergence of tendencies toward right-wing nationalism, unilateralism and populism as an ongoing trend. Comrades another assignement, engage the media.”

14:39 – “In our own view, Comrade Ronnie (Kasrils, “He is a white, South African Jewish man who fought apartheid and advised Hamas.” https://www.aljazeera.com/program/talk-to-al-jazeera/2017/9/2/the-jewish-top-spy-who-advised-hamas/), despite its inadequacies, it is our belief that the United Nations must remain the primary locus for political security and development decision making as it remains the most representative global body despite its shortcomings. We believe a complete overhaul of the UN system is needed so that the UN Security Council is democratized and reflects the current balance of forces in the global system. It’s unacceptable, 8 decades nearly after its creation, 5 nations still wield disproportionate decision-making power in the Security Council and those 5 number among the most problematic countries in the world. The causes of many of the problems I refer to today. So the overhaul of the UN system should include enforcement of decisions taken but by what we hope will be a democratized UN Security Council. We also believe we should no longer accept a situation where countless resolutions are passed by the vast majority in the UN General Assembly but are merely ignored.”

21:15 – “Afriforum is decimating all the progressive gains we have made in South Africa including affirmative action and we are allowing it to happen while we live.”

29:18 – “These 4 pillars of the struggle, complemented and reinforced each other to deliver the death of the Apartheid regime. So again we need to revive international solidarity as a pillar, we need to revive underground as a pillar, we need to revive armed struggle as a pillar and we need to ensure mass struggle as a pillar.”

30:31 – “We that today internationalism is going to be decisive in crystallizing new forms of organizing political forces for meaningful transformation but as I said earlier we need a strategic approach to the search of a better international order.”

31:52 – “I believe we need to continue as South Africa to contribute to the building of a global progressive movement for a better Africa and a better world. People need to be shaken out of complacency and distraction. Progressive forces of the left need to step in, need to provide hope and vision and offer up concrete pathways to political action.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22630255 (220336ZFEB25) Notable: Final Russia and Ukraine Bun / Ramaphosa invites Zelensky for state visit amid US-Russia talks

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“Ramaphosa invites Zelensky for state visit amid US-Russia talks”

https://www.thecable.ng/ramaphosa-invites-zelensky-for-state-visit-amid-us-russia-talks/

February 21, 2025

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has invited Volodymyr Zelensky, his Ukrainian counterpart, for a state visit.

In a post shared on X on Wednesday, Ramaphosa said he had a prior “constructive engagement” with Zelensky.

“We both agreed on the urgent need for an inclusive peace process that involves all parties in finding a resolution to the conflict and securing a lasting peace,” the South African president wrote.

Ramaphosa’s invite to Zelensky comes as the United States and Russia commenced negotiations aimed at ending the three-year war—a process Ukraine has not been a part of.

Zelensky warned that Ukraine would not accept any decisions taken on its behalf in the talks.

South Africa has historically maintained strong ties with Russia, largely due to its membership in BRICS.

At the same time, South Africa has also fostered ties with Ukraine, positioning itself as a nation that engages with both sides of the ongoing conflict.

In 2023, Ramaphosa led a delegation comprising seven African countries, including Egypt, Senegal, Zambia, and Uganda to meet Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22632198 (221332ZFEB25) Notable: Shadow Empire: How USAID and Ford Foundation helped the CIA control India’s policy & culture

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>>281899

>>>/qresearch/22601208

>>281898

>>281830

>>>/qresearch/22418103

>>281731

>>281907

>USAID

>>>/qresearch/21454149

>>>/qresearch/22427590

>>>/qresearch/22532704

>>>/qresearch/22532737

>>281877

>>>/qresearch/22601251

>>>/qresearch/22627570

>>>/qresearch/22627619

>Ford Foundation

“Shadow Empire: How USAID and Ford Foundation helped the CIA control India’s policy & culture”

https://organiser.org/2025/02/13/277907/bharat/shadow-empire-how-usaid-and-ford-foundation-helped-the-cia-control-indias-policy-culture/

Feb 13, 2025

For 75 years, the US has covertly manipulated India’s political and economic landscape through organizations like USAID and the Ford Foundation. By infiltrating key sectors such as education, agriculture, and civil society, these foreign powers have undermined India’s sovereignty.

For decades, India has been a battleground for global powers trying to assert their influence over its political and economic structures. Among the most prominent of these influences have been the United States’ operations through various organisations like USAID, the Ford Foundation, and the Congress for Cultural Freedom.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22632358 (221408ZFEB25) Notable: Final ANC Bun / Ernst Roets: “I spoke with Tucker Carlson about the crisis in South Africa” (video)

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Ernst Roets: “I spoke with Tucker Carlson about the crisis in South Africa”

https://youtu.be/SwWHoiai9Wo

Feb 22, 2025

1:49 – “I’m pretty sure that this interview would create some form of a storm so we need to buckle up simply because I didn’t hold back at all.”

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22647177 (241716ZFEB25) Notable: Final Commodities Bun / Eskom’s stage 6 load shedding, a shock to the GNU

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“Eskom’s stage 6 load shedding, a shock to the GNU”

https://www.iol.co.za/news/energy/eskoms-stage-6-load-shedding-a-shock-to-the-gnu-5c964390-c3b9-4eae-be8f-6f87f12940eb

Published Feb 23, 2025

Political and economic analysts have described Eskom’s announcement of stage 6 load shedding as a blow to the Government of National Unity (GNU) and a crisis for the economy.

This was after Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced during a media briefing on Sunday that the country’s power utility has implemented stage 6 load shedding due to the loss of four units at Camden Power Station in Mpumalanga.

However, Ramokgopa vowed that the issues would be resolved by the end of the week.

Detailing the sequence of events, Ramokgopa said five units tripped at Majuba on Saturday, taking about 3,000MW off line, which prompted stage 3 load shedding.

He added that overnight to Sunday, four units went down at Camden Power station at about 01h30 in the morning, which resulted in the escalation of load shedding to stage 6, while over 7,000MW is off line for planned maintenance and emergency reserves are being used up and need to be replenished for the week ahead.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22647310 (241734ZFEB25) Notable: Final Expropriation Bun / No US boycott': Lamola clarifies US representation at G20 meeting” - Deputy Chief of Mission Dana M. Brown attended

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>>>/qresearch/22418174

>Overseas, the U.S. ambassador or Chief of Mission is responsible for “the direction, coordination, and supervision of all Government executive branch employees” in a country … who shall be kept “fully and currently informed with respect to all activities and operations of the Government within that country.” 38 In other words, the U.S. ambassador has authority over United States intelligence activities within that country. The actual management of intelligence programs and activities in a U.S. embassy, however, falls to the CIA Chief of Station (COS), who is to ensure the Chief of Mission is kept appropriately informed.

“'No US boycott': Lamola clarifies US representation at G20 meeting” - Deputy Chief of Mission Dana M. Brown attended

https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/no-us-boycott-lamola-clarifies-us-representation-at-g20-meeting-016ecef4-f684-421e-b175-84e6e978f37d

Published Feb 21, 2025

International Relations Minister Ronald Lamola asserts that the presence of a low-level US delegation at South Africa's G20 foreign ministers meeting does not indicate a boycott, as the US sent a representative from its Embassy in Pretoria.

Minister Lamola defended the position that the US did not boycott the two-day G20 meeting held in Johannesburg, which featured the attendance of various foreign ministers, including Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. However, there was no direct representation from the US at the meeting.

"In this meeting, we had a changed affair from the US embassy in South Africa, Dana Brown who participated on behalf of the USA... The US participated in that capacity and they participated throughout and left when all delegates left.

"So, there was no boycott, they were here, participated and we appreciate their presence because they are full G20 members," he said.

https://za.usembassy.gov/deputy-chief-of-mission-dana-m-brown/

Dana M. Brown assumed the role of Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Mission to South Africa in August 2024. Her most recent assignments include leading the Office Southern European Affairs, covering Türkiye, Greece, Cyprus, and Malta, and serving as Deputy Chief of Mission in the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland, where she advocated for closer Swiss security integration with NATO members, and cooperation on emerging technologies. Prior to that, she served as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in Mexico City, and as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs in Mexico City, advancing U.S. migration, security, and human rights policy objectives with Mexican counterparts. In Washington D.C., Ms. Brown worked as Deputy Chancellor of the National Defense University’s College of Information and Cyberspace from 2017-2018. She was the first State Department official to hold the role and enhanced international cooperation and interagency collaboration in the information and cyberspace domain.

Ms. Brown began her career with the U.S. Department of State in 1998 as a Presidential Management Fellow and subsequently joined the Foreign Service in May 2000. Prior assignments included tours in the Executive Secretariat for Secretary Colin Powell, as well as in U.S. embassies to Cuba, Kosovo, Cape Verde, Portugal, Colombia, and Honduras.

Ms. Brown is an alumna of Brown University with a degree in diplomacy and global security. She completed her master’s degree at the University of California, San Diego in international relations and Pacific studies. A native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, she speaks Spanish, German, and Portuguese. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ms. Brown holds the rank of Minister Counselor.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22648238 (242015ZFEB25) Notable: The Double Standards of the SAHRC (video)

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>>>/qresearch/22648221

>>>/qresearch/22648229

“The Double Standards of the SAHRC”

https://youtu.be/khHu6ZbHChg

Premiered Feb 22, 2025

The South African Human Rights Commission has failed to adhere to their own deadline. At what point do we hold them responsible for their failure to adhere to their most basic of commitments. Taxpayers fund them and it's time that taxpayers hold them accountable for their failures.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22648252 (242018ZFEB25) Notable: Final DRC & Rwanda Bun / Rhetoric prior to Rwanda’s genocide (video)

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>>281922

>>>/qresearch/22648229

>>>/qresearch/22648221

Rhetoric prior to Rwanda’s genocide

https://youtu.be/pUK5D3b257c

PBS documentary

0:30 – “In Rwanda, the Hutu leaders did what all genocidal leaders do. They tapped into the prejudices and beliefs that people already held. Generations of Hutu had grown up being taught that the Tutsi are dangerous and inhuman. “The killers didn’t think of the victims as humans or they wouldn’t have killed them. I include myself in this. Like many others, I did not think of them as human beings.””

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22651659 (250709ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun

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Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun

>>281902 George Shultz: Bechtel Corporation

>>281903 The Bechtel Story The Most Secret Corporation and How It Engineered the World

>>281904 Bechtel and the Reagan Cabinet

>>281905 Schultz meets with leader of ANC rebels in South Africa, 1987

>>281906 Africa: Bechtel Offering 'Fast Track' Solutions for Large-Scale Projects Across the Continent

>>281907 Bechtel.org Partners with USAID to Support Food Security in Zambia

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22651671 (250712ZFEB25) Notable: Initial Steinhoff International Holdings Bun

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Initial Steinhoff International Holdings Bun

>>281773 How Deloitte masked scandals in business and politics

>>281878 Steinhoff Saga: David Brink, former Non-Executive Director

>>281879,

>>281882, >>281883 Steinhoff Scandal: four key developments in the 2024 fraud case (Parts 1&2)

>>281884 Steinhoff collapse becomes a case study in corporate governance gone wrong

>>281885 PwC Investigation: Steinhoff booked R6.4bn in revenue for a sale that never happened

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22655341 (252223ZFEB25) Notable: Final ANC Bun / SANDF General in Hot Water After Accusing the ANC of Terrible Leadership, Weak Army and Open Borders (video)

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“SANDF General in Hot Water After Accusing the ANC of Terrible Leadership, Weak Army and Open Borders”

https://youtu.be/umAgZjqJZ6U

Feb 24, 2025

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22655346 (252224ZFEB25) Notable: Final Violence and Crime Bun / >>226655358 South Africa: A safe haven for terrorist financing (Parts 1-3)

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“South Africa: A safe haven for terrorist financing” 1 of 3

https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/south-africa-a-safe-haven-for-terrorist-financing

18 February 2025

On February 13, 2025, South Africa issued its first court order under Section 23 of the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (POCDATARA Act), marking a historic yet long-overdue intervention in the fight against terrorist financing. The order, granted by the South Gauteng High Court, targeted two individuals, Abdirizak Mohamed Abdi Jimale and Bashir Abdi Hassan, and two entities, Almisbaax Pty Ltd (formerly Heeryo Trading Enterprise) and Heeryo Trading Enterprise in Somalia. The court found reasonable grounds to believe that these parties had committed, participated in, or facilitated acts of terrorism, resulting in the immediate freezing of their assets under South African law.

This article delves into the realities of terrorist financing within South Africa, the systemic failures that allowed extremist networks to thrive, and the political selectivity in counterterrorism enforcement, particularly regarding groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, which continue to operate with impunity under the ANC government. By exposing these inconsistencies, this sheds light on the urgent need for stronger financial oversight, international cooperation, and an unbiased approach to tackling terrorism in all its forms.

South Africa has long been criticized for its weak enforcement against terrorist financing. Despite years of warnings from international watchdogs, the government has only recently issued its first counter-terrorism "freezing orders" under the Protection of Constitutional Democracy Against Terrorist and Related Activities Act (Pocdatara Act). While the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) claims this move signals a crackdown on illicit financial networks, it raises serious questions about why this is only happening now and whether the government is merely making symbolic gestures to appear proactive.

Reports suggest that more than R400 million flowed out of South Africa between 2020 and 2021 in suspected terrorist-related transactions, a figure that places the country among the most exploited financial hubs for extremist funding. Compared to nations with stricter anti-terror financial laws, South Africa’s relative lack of enforcement has made it an attractive option for illicit fund movements, raising concerns among international security agencies. Facilitated by financial loopholes and informal money transfer networks, these transactions have been particularly exploited by ISIS-linked cells, which use South Africa as a critical hub for laundering money and distributing funds across East and Southern Africa.

Two individuals, Abdirizak Mohamed Abdi Jimale and Bashir Abdi Hassan, and two entities, Almisbaax Pty Ltd and Heeryo Trading Enterprise, have now been targeted in the FIC’s first major action against terrorist financing. These individuals and businesses allegedly moved hundreds of thousands of dollars through South Africa to fund terror operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, Uganda, and Tanzania. The implications of these financial networks are far-reaching, fuelling regional instability and strengthening militant groups that continue to wreak havoc across the African continent.

Jimale, previously a member of Al-Shabaab, defected to ISIS-Somalia and became a crucial financial facilitator, moving at least $400,000 from Somalia through Heeryo Trading Enterprise to ISIS-affiliated groups in South Africa. He was arrested in Mogadishu in 2021 and sentenced to 15 years in prison for terror financing.

Meanwhile, Bashir Abdi Hassan operated as a financial cutout in Johannesburg and Mogadishu, helping launder money across various East African channels. These cases highlight how deeply embedded terrorist financing has become within South Africa’s economic infrastructure, allowing extremist groups to flourish under the radar.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22655350 (252225ZFEB25) Notable: Final Violence and Crime Bun / >>226655358 South Africa: A safe haven for terrorist financing (Parts 1-3)

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>>281927

“South Africa: A safe haven for terrorist financing” 2 of 3

https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/south-africa-a-safe-haven-for-terrorist-financing

18 February 2025

The Role of Hawala Networks

Terrorist groups exploit hawala networks, an informal and largely unregulated money transfer system based on trust. For example, an ISIS financier hands over cash in Mogadishu to a hawala broker, avoiding the formal banking system. The broker contacts an associate in Johannesburg, who releases an equivalent sum to an ISIS-linked operative. The recipient either uses the funds for terror activities, such as weapons and logistics, or moves the money further to places like the DRC, Uganda, or Mozambique.

To cover the movement, Heeryo Trading Enterprise and similar networks would then conduct seemingly legitimate bank transfers, masking the origins of the money. The South African authorities have largely ignored or failed to regulate these transactions, allowing terror groups to thrive. Until now, the government had not taken serious action, which begs the question: why only now?

The ANC’s Support for Hamas and Hezbollah

The African National Congress (ANC) has a history of supporting Palestinian causes, often hosting Hamas leaders and facilitating their activities within South Africa. In 2023, the ANC met with a Hamas delegation visiting South Africa, a move that drew criticism from various groups. This support has enabled Hamas and Hezbollah operatives to raise funds, organize events, and engage with South African politicians who view them as 'revolutionary' groups rather than terrorist organizations. Such interactions have legitimized these groups' presence and allowed them to operate openly, exploiting legal loopholes to secure financial and logistical support.

This situation creates a double standard in South Africa's treatment of different extremist organizations. While ISIS-linked funding is criminalized and subject to asset freezes, fundraising for Hamas and Hezbollah is often ignored or even encouraged under the guise of 'solidarity.' If ISIS operatives could so easily exploit South Africa’s lax financial regulations, how much more are Hamas and Hezbollah fundraisers benefiting from a country where they are openly embraced?

Unlike ISIS, these groups are not designated as terrorist organizations in South Africa. Instead, they are often welcomed by the ANC government, receiving VIP treatment and even meeting high-ranking officials. Hamas and Hezbollah operatives freely raise funds, organize events, and engage with South African politicians who see them as “revolutionary” groups rather than terrorist organizations. This distinction highlights the selective nature of South Africa’s counterterrorism policies and exposes glaring inconsistencies in its approach to extremist groups.

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22657830 (260950ZFEB25) Notable: Final Expropriation Bun / Willem Petzer: Over 90% of EXPROPRIATED farms have failed under new black beneficiaries (video)

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Over 90% of EXPROPRIATED farms have failed under new black beneficiaries. | Willem Petzer

Originally posted at >>>/qresearch/22661135 (262204ZFEB25) Notable: Final ANC Bun / Lamola: USA not responding to SA's calls for discussion (video)

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“South Africa seeks dialogue with U.S. over Trump’s aid cut”

https://youtu.be/pcfe-MMj1lM

Feb 18, 2025

“USA not responding to SA's calls for discussion – Lamola”

https://www.enca.com/top-stories/usa-not-responding-sas-calls-discussion-lamola

Monday 17 February 2025

CAPE TOWN - International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola, says the United States has not responded to attempts to discuss President Donald Trump’s executive order cutting off aid.

Trump cut aid to South Africa in February after accusing South Africa of confiscating land and treating some classes of people very badly.

Follow-up thread

>>105431

>>105431

Follow-up thread