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International Q Research Threads

>>22959282 ——–——– Australia #41

>>22975806 ——–——– Brasil #2

>>22966444 ——–——– Canada #76

>>21284558 ——–——– France #8

>>22976021 ——–——– Germany #108

>>22548431 ——–——– Japan #27

>>22976797 ——–——– QAJF #3

>>22228099 ——–——– Scotland #12

>>21699204 ——–——– Singapore #1

>>22753901 ——–——– UK #52

Alternate South Africa bread on midnightriders

https://8kun.top/midnightriders/res/147928.html

Alternate South Africa bread on Endchan

https://endchan.gg/qrbunker/res/73076.html

Notables are NOT Endorsements

#13-A

>>20971056, >>20971069, >>20971071 The contributions of the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa) (Parts 1-3)

>>20971100 Open Society Institute Mourns Loss of Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert

>>20971176 Untold Story of George Soros’ Worldwide Soft Power Empire

>>20971210 Dr. Wilmot James named as Chair of Wellcome Trust’s Climate Impacts Advisory Committee

>>21015673 (General Research #25771) The Petrodollar deal has expired

>>21117041 (Canada #60) Why does a NATO member suddenly want to join BRICS?

>>21132637 (Canada #60) Kenya’s Fall From Grace: From US Major Non-NATO Ally to the Brink of Anarchy in DAYS

>>21150246 (Canada #60) Nigeria recalling gold reserves from U.S., U.K. as world increasingly abandons corrupt Western finance pyramid scheme

>>21168091 (Canada #60) Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso Sign Confederation Treaty, as France Loses Colonial Power and US Military Withdraws From Important Air Base

>>21391823 Ernst Roets New York speech July 2024: What are we fighting for? (video)

>>21396724 Opposition parties want land expropriation without compensation back on the table (video)

>>21435327 EFF expands to neighbouring African countries (video)

>>21439810 Govt accused of awarding security tenders to non-compliant companies (video)

>>21439861 Women/girls are regarded as possessions in Africa

>>21439991 NGOs became ‘Now Government Officials’ in the ‘new’ South Africa

>>21440497 South Africa’s state capture database disaster

>>21455767 Initial Elections Bun | Initial Mpumalanga Military Camp Bun | Initial Russia and Ukraine Bun

>>21467604 African governments incompetent and unethical -- Senou (video)

>>21650708 South Africa: Ramaphosa's Minister Says US Shouldn't Lecture Pretoria (video)

>>21650713 Ramaphosa meets with South African-born American entrepreneur Elon Musk, other investors (video)

>>21628813 BELA [Basic Education Laws Amendment] BILL : Everything you need to know (video)

>>22366051 Updated Elections Bun

>>22366061 Updated Jacob Zuma Bun

>>22412380 Anti-competitive behaviour, a driver behind Ithala Bank challenges - Real Democracy

>>22459738, >>22467397 Romanian private military fighters cross border into Rwanda (video)

>>22475539 The United Nations continues to aid terrorists

>>22476169 Somalia expels UN envoy Nicholas Haysom, saying he ‘interfered in the country’s sovereignty’

>>22499539 Trump takes aim at SA: Political parties slam ‘misinformation’ about land expropriation

>>22505416 South Africa, Cuba Form ‘Hague Group’ to Oppose Israel, Support Terror

>>22518650 Updated Mozambique Bun

>>22518658 Initial Zama Zamas Bun

>>22523965 US lawmakers criticize S Africa over embassy

>>22524216 South Africa-U.S. tensions escalate as Rubio snubs G-20 meeting over land reform law

>>22560068, >>22560084 George Soros and South Africa’s transition from Apartheid to Robbery Capitalism

>>22599537 These are the South African companies that benefited from USAID

>>22601268 Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training (ADST): Honorary Board and Board of Directors

>>22453774, >>22453778, >>22453788, >>22453795 Aid for Profit: The Dark History of USAID (Parts 1-4)

>>22607752, >>22607762 “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)

#13-B

>>22611585 National Assembly speaker Thoko Didiza announces budget speech postponement

>>22621500 Remarks from Minister Naledi Pandor and Dr. Riad Malki, Palestine foreign affairs minister (video)

>>22621522 John Dugard, among others, defended the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation which created Hamas

>>22632198 Shadow Empire: How USAID and Ford Foundation helped the CIA control India’s policy & culture

>>22648238 The Double Standards of the SAHRC (video)

>>22651659 Initial Bechtel Corporation Bun

>>22651671 Initial Steinhoff International Holdings Bun

>>22665330 WEF: “South Africa's G20 Presidency: Navigating a Fragmented Global Landscape”

>>22712963, >>22713027, >>22713034 The Paleo-Western revolution of 2024/25 (Parts 1-3)

>>22810926 (Canada #73) Sudan's Army Retakes Control Of Presidential Palace After Two Years

>>22887801, >>22887805 ConCourt’s ruling on “Kill the Boer” raises alarming questions: Dave Steward (Parts 1&2)

>>22887811 Public display of old SA flag is hate speech, rules SCA

>>22907833 (Canada #75) Trump Indicates USA Will Boycott November G20 Summit in South Africa over Farm Murders and Land Expropriation — Marxist Malema Calls Him “Delusional Barbarian”

>>22921214 BNC#7: Helen Zille - The new global order; the DA's role in the GNU; and the future of South Africa (video)

>>22923990 South Africa: What the West Needs to Learn (video)

>>22970903 Final ANC Bun

>>22970905 Final Commodities Bun

>>22970906 Final Covid & Other Pestilence Bun

>>22970909 Final DRC & Rwanda Bun

>>22970912 Final Expropriation Bun

>>22970914 Final MTN Bun

>>22970915 Final Cyril Ramaphosa Bun

>>22970918 Final Russia and Ukraine Bun

>>22970921 Final Violence and Crime Bun

“Marikana Massacre | Amcu President Joseph Mathunjwa addresses the gathering”; “Mineral energy complex… is the genesis of all social evil in South Africa.”

https://youtu.be/tUHlSsEmGE4

Aug 16, 2022

0:45 – “South African government is spending billions of social grants just to put the people of South Africa in the dark. Just to confine people to be their slaves, to vote them to power, to create a state that is dependent on politicians. Instead of coming with a social program that will uplift the South Africans, we can have all investment in the world without radical revolution of values, we are going nowhere.”

2:30 – “But all these presidents [Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma and Cyril Ramaphosa] have chained the life of a black child in South Africa. We need a president that has compassion and such a president can be appointed by God.”

9:33 – “The time of promises is over. Mineral energy complex, as I’ve said earlier on, is the genesis of all social evil in South Africa. The disposition of land was caused by mineral energy complex. Taxation that was structured for black people was caused by the very same mineral energy complex to use black people to be the cannon fodder for these mines.”

10:55 – “Foreign direct investment, foreign direct thieves. Did you hear that one?… It’s foreign direct thieves!”

11:51 – “Our struggle should be channeled to mineral energy complex. Even during Apartheid years… no government has led the country. The control of the country lies with the mineral energy complex. Even when you go back to 1922, in the Rand Revolt, the same thing has happened where the employer was beating white employees against black employees.”

20:40 – “Love them or hate them, the Afrikaners… but they gave us the country that was functional… a functional state… The Nationalist Party was cruel to humanity but they left us with a functioning state. Where’s the railway today? Where’s the SAA today? Where’s the healthcare system today? Even though during Apartheid, there was a board saying “whites only” and “blacks only” but whenever you entered that door… you’ll get service… you will get all the medication that you want. Today there’s no white or black but there’s no service.”

22:39 – “The elephant in the room is the constitution of the country called South Africa, the best constitution in the world but poor people are poor as a mouse church. Until such time we tear this constitution and write our own constitution that will embrace our culture, that will embrace our norms, that will embrace our values because this constitution has changed us to be like zombies. Until such time we tear down this constitution, this constitution is enslaving us. This constitution is making the same colonizers to have power to the people who are the majority of the country.”

29:23 – “We only see evil when it is committed… by white government, but when the evil is committed by black government, we see no reason to uprise.”

37:24 – “When workers were massacred here, AIDC through Comrade Brian, they’ve done a study of illicit financial flow. We find out, Lonmin registered a company overseas in a safe haven where there is only a postbox, where there is no onw, where they were paying over 200 million per month.”

>>22978036

“Press Release: Lonmin, the Marikana Massacre and the Bermuda Connection”

https://aidc.org.za/press-release-lonmin-the-marikana-massacre-and-the-bermuda-connection/

Posted on December 3, 2014 by AIDC

1. On June 2 AIDC issued a press statement in which we raised the concern of the Platinum Cartel’s possible involvement in transfer pricing in respect of under-selling their metals.

2. Our concerns regarding Lonmin’s involvement in possible transfer pricing is greater than ever. Tuesday hearings of the Marikana Commission showed that Lonmin needs to clarify the role and relationship of several of its subsidiaries, not least Lonmin PLC (the parent company), Western Platinum Ltd, Eastern Platinum Ltd, Lonmin Management Services (PTY) Ltd and Western Metals Sales Limited, located in the tax haven of Bermuda.

3. Contradictory answers have been provided both to the Marikana Commission and to journalists in relation to revelations made.

4. In sum, Lonmin, just for the years 2008 to 2012 transferred in commission fees $160 million (R1,231 billion) to a Lonmin subsidiary, Western Metals Sales Limited based in Bermuda, a well known tax haven. A further $155 million (R1,170 billion) was paid in management fees to Lonmin Management Services.

5. These amounts were shifted from Lonmin’s South African operations and effectively put out of reach of possible wage demands, meetings of its social labour plan commitments and beyond what would have been “taxable income”. It is necessary to ask is if this a case of the so-called “illicit financial flows” that has so worried African heads of state and prompted the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union (AU) to establish the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows.

6. Lonmin’s Bermuda connection is one piece in a complex inter-company labyrinth and picture of excessive dividend payments before the 2008 crash, exorbitant executive salaries as well as yearly management fees to head offices.

7. This is an important part of the background to the August 16 Marikana massacre and shaped Lonmin’s response to the wage demands of rock drill operators and other workers at its operations.

8. That Lonmin has something to hide became clear in the last days of evidence at the Marikana Commission of Inquiry. When questioned on these transfers and the relations between Lonmin, its South African subsidiaries and its overseas subsidiaries, its Executive Director, Mr M Seedat seemed to suffer from severe memory loss and could only provide general information that was contradictory. Nevertheless, he was forced to admit in reference to the Lonmin subsidiary in Bermuda, Western Metal Sales Limited, that “A structure like this is normally set up to be optimal from a tax perspective.”

9. Further to this, Mr Seedat told the Commission that the “Bermuda operation” was closed in 2008, yet financial reports audited by the international firm KPMG, records the flow of money to Bermuda up until 2012. A decision was made by Lonmin to rewrite its business history in June 2012 in relation to these payments and retrospectively decree (in June 2012) the closure of Western Metals Sales Limited in 2008.

10. A research report on the issue of Lonmin’s affordability will soon be lodged at the Marikana Commission. https://aidc.org.za/download/BermudaLonmin04low.pdf (See attachment)

11. Perhaps it is legal to rewrite a company’s financial history without a comment in the audited books, however, AIDC calls on SARS and the South African government to urgently establish a major and detailed investigation into Lonmin’s financial operations and more generally into other mining transnational corporations and the problem of transfer pricing, illicit financial flows that also may be contributing to South Africa’s worsening capital account deficit and balance of payment problems.

For more information also read this article:https://aidc.org.za/programmes/political-economy/wage-and-profits/83-lonmin-s-bermuda-connection-the-story-to-emerge-from-cross-examination-during-the-marikana-commission-hearings

For further information, contact Dick Forslund (+ 27 828 957 947), senior economist at the Alternative Information and Development Centre (AIDC), Brian Ashley (+27 820857088), Director at AIDC, MP Giyose (+27 823500361), Chair of the AIDC board.

>>22978036

>>22978041

“Cyril Ramaphosa’s Lonmin tax-dodge headache”

https://mg.co.za/article/2014-09-18-cyril-ramaphosas-lonmin-tax-dodge-headache/

18 September 2014

Evidence before the Marikana commission that Lonmin moved millions in platinum revenue from South Africa to tax-free Bermuda is likely to prove embarrassing for ANC deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa, who was a Lonmin director and major shareholder until recently, came out swinging last month against corporate tax evaders, which he said have committed a crime against “ordinary” South Africans.

This week the Farlam commission of inquiry, which is investigating the events that led to the killing of 34 miners by police during the 2012 platinum strikes, heard that, for many years, Lonmin’s South African mines have paid “sales commissions”, recently averaging more than R200-million a year, to a company it owned in Bermuda.

Lonmin told the commission that it only put a stop to this practice in 2012, with a decision it says it backdated to 2008. The decision to stop was not made sooner, the company said, because it was blocked by its black economic empowerment partner Incwala – a company controlled by Ramaphosa’s Shanduka Group.

When evidence leader Matthew Chaskalson then pressed Seedat on why the decision was only made in 2012 and then backdated, Lonmin’s lawyer, Schalk Burger, interjected: “I have an instruction from the chief legal adviser to Lonmin to say the reason for the lateness of that agreement was that Incwala for very many years refused to agree to the new structure, and it was only by the middle of 2012 that that agreement could be obtained and that the agreement could be concluded.”

Incwala Resources owns 18% of Lonmin’s South African subsidiaries Western Platinum and Eastern Platinum. Ramaphosa became a Lonmin board member in July 2010 when his Shanduka Group acquired a 50.03% controlling stake in Incwala.

He resigned from Lonmin’s board in January 2013 when he re-entered the political sphere.

The reasons why Incwala allegedly prevented the Bermuda payments from being stopped was not discussed further at the commission. It is also not clear when this happened and what Ramaphosa’s role was.

>>22978036

>>22978041

>>22978052

“Cyril Ramaphosa: from Lonmin mining massacre to President”

https://theweek.com/south-africa/91665/cyril-ramaphosa-from-lonmin-mining-massacre-to-president

last updated 15 February 2018

The new South African leader was an apartheid hero - but some haven’t forgiven his role in the deaths of 34 miners

Cyril Ramaphosa will lead South Africa into the next decade, a formidable challenge for the anti-apartheid activist-turned-businessman.

Ramaphosa, 65, is an activist lawyer who grew up in a poor township in Johannesburg. He was detained twice in the 1970s for anti-apartheid activities, Time says, and formed the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1980s.

The union leader then transformed himself into a multi-millionaire businessman, eventually taking over the McDonald’s franchise in South Africa in 2011, the BBC says.

But Ramaphosa is better known in South Africa in connection with a massacre at the British-owned mining company Lonmin in 2012. Ramaphosa was a non-executive director when a wildcat strike at the Marikana platinum mine ended with police shooting dead 34 strikers. He had called on the authorities to take “concomitant action” against the miners in the days before the massacre.

During his testimony at an inquiry into the massacre he was heckled by protesters shouting “blood on his hands, Ramaphosa must go”, the BBC reported at the time.

The South African news agency Business Live says that in a “bid to clear a major hurdle in his campaign for top office”, Ramaphosa apologised last year for the manner in which the Marikana massacre unfolded, saying he was “sorry for the type of language he used at the time”.

“An inquiry subsequently absolved Ramaphosa of guilt. But some families of the victims still blame him for urging the authorities to intervene,” Reuters reports.

The incident “rocked the mining industry and traumatised South Africa”, The Daily Telegraph writes.

Could Ramaphosa heal and restore South Africa’s politics and economy, in spite of his past? A country once described as the “miracle” of the African continent is about to find out.

>>22978036

>Our struggle should be channeled to mineral energy complex. Even during Apartheid years… no government has led the country. The control of the country lies with the mineral energy complex.

>>22978041

>>22978052

>>22978061

>Could Ramaphosa heal and restore South Africa’s politics and economy, in spite of his past?

“The Stilfontein Massacre: State Violence in Defense of Corporate Mining Interests”

https://www.telesurenglish.net/the-stilfontein-massacre-state-violence-in-defense-of-corporate-mining-interests/

March 12, 2025 Hour: 6:12 pm

The Stilfontein massacre, reminiscent of the Marikana massacre, has once again exposed the deadly means the South African government is willing to employ to protect private corporate and commercial interests.

Labeled “illegal miners” by the state, artisanal miners are marginalized individuals struggling for better living conditions. They operate in parallel—and in resistance—to the industrial-scale mining industry, which has a long history of dispossession and exploitation dating back to the colonial era.

Stilfontein, like Marikana, reveals the state’s collusion with corporate mining interests. The violence it employs ranges from direct, structural, and narrative violence to the violence of inaction—all part of a legacy of colonial extortion driven by the need to control and extract labor and resources.

Every February, Cape Town hosts Mining Indaba, Africa’s largest mining investment conference, attended by politicians, mining lobbyists, and corporate elites. The conference features South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe, and 42 ministers from 29 African nations.

https://www.africanmining.co.za/events/investing-in-african-mining-indaba-2025-cape-town/

Since its inception in 1994, the Investing in African Mining Indaba conference has become a pivotal event for mining professionals, investors, and industry leaders looking to capitalise on the vast opportunities in Africa’s mining sector. With a focus on fostering long-term economic growth and sustainability, the event serves as a premier meeting place for networking, deal-making, and discussions on topics such as technological advancements in mining, sustainable mining practices, and investment opportunities in African mining projects. As the event continues to grow in size and influence, it remains a crucial platform for shaping the future of mining on the African continent.

>>22978036

>>22978070

”The Rise in Class Action Lawsuits against Mining ‘Powerhouses’ in South Africa”

https://law.uct.ac.za/mineral-law/articles/2024-03-12-rise-class-action-lawsuits-against-mining-powerhouses-south-africa

12 Mar 2024

The discovery of gold in South Africa in the 19th century contributed to the rapid growth of the country’s mining industry.[1] Due to the mining industry's insistent demands, South Africa, an underdeveloped and mostly pastoral or agricultural country, transformed into an economic hub with power, railways, roads, and improved water supply.[2] As the mining industry expanded over the years, ensuring an adequate supply of cheap labour became a significant challenge.[3] Resultantly, the South African mining industry relied heavily on black male workers who would migrate from their homelands to the mining towns so they could earn a living and support their families.[4]

Mines are inherently dangerous workplaces. The reality of sustaining Injuries due to accidents and contracting untreatable occupational diseases presents a great health hazard among mineworkers.

the South African government has published regulations, guidelines, and mandatory Codes of Practice that assist employers in managing risks to health.[14] However, mining companies, who generate billions of rands in profits from the operation of the mines, fail to provide adequate protective equipment and healthcare services and implement the safety guidelines.

On the 15th of August 2023, Richard Spoor Inc. Attorneys (RSI) filed a class action lawsuit against coal mining companies BHP Billiton, Seriti Power and South32. Further applications were brought against Exxaro, Glencore and Anglo American later for similar reasons. The law firm will represent thousands of coal mineworkers and relatives affected by coal mine dust lung disease (CMDLD). CMDLD are a group of occupational lung diseases attributed to long-term exposure and inhalation of coal mine dust.[15] Cumulative coal dust exposure adversely affects the lung function of [16] The applicants argue that the international mining companies made little to no effort that would protect mineworkers against incurable lung morbidities. Further, the applicants argue that they were not educated about the disease and its symptoms and they often brushed off the discomfort in the respiratory tract as a recurring flu. This makes it difficult for them to seek medical attention for early intervention.to implement statutorily mandated measures that would protect mineworkers against incurable lung morbidities. Further, the applicants argue that they were not educated about the disease and its symptoms and they often brushed off the discomfort in the respiratory tract as a recurring flu. This makes it difficult for them to seek medical attention for early intervention.

>>22978036

>>22978041

>>22978052

>>22978061

>>22978070

>Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe

>>22978079

>class action lawsuit against coal mining companies

“Freedom Day 2025 | Acting President Gwede Mantashe reflects on democracy in keynote address”

https://youtu.be/C7bx69yNp7Q

Apr 27, 2025

13:20 – “Actually coal mining which is your pride, premier, is ran, owned and managed by black South Africans. Only Glencore is predominantly white in mining coal here and that coal is not underperforming. Why should you not be celebrate that? Is it because I don’t own a mine then I can’t celebrate? I must celebrate that our people own those mines, they manage them… It is 80% driven by black South Africans. We celebrate.”

21:07 – “When people criticize us for the government of national unity, they say, “why do you talk to the DA?” It takes us all the time to explain that you never negotiate with your friend. You negotiate with your enemy.”

22:12 – “I always remind people, ideology has no colour. Ideology is the mindset. We can leave the DA but I’m not sure if MKP and EFF are better options. They are so aggressive and hostile against the ANC. So it’s like choosing a devil and also but run into the fire. That’s it. You run away from the devil, you get into the fire, you burn anyway.”

23:14 – “Peace over conflict. Right-wing fringes regard this gesture as cowardice than a noble one. That is why you will find some of the people taking over Orania. Orania, a piece of land in the Northern Cape. They want to create it as some land that is independent. Actually, if I would be a president for more than 3 hours, I would declare that we must go and build in Orania. Black people must go and build there. And we mix them. They appreciate that hatred can never survive peace. It is peace that build a nation… Others go over to America… They told to go there and be refugees. They are refusing. They must go because we are a free country, we are a sovereign country, we’re not a province of the United States. And that sovereignity will be defended. That’s why when we see soldiers here, we know that our sovereignty is protected. That’s it.”

25:22 – “These choices we made over three decades ago defined our national character and we have elevated moral standing in the world… We don’t apologize for the standing with the people of Palestine. We can never apologize because other people stood with us. We can’t apologize for standing with the people of Sahara. We can’t apologize for standing with people of Southern Sudan and Northern Sudan. We must pay our price and render our solidarity.”

27:31 – “South Africa remains committed to progressive foreign policy and to engaging the countries of both the global north and global south. South Africa owed this liberation to many countries of the world that stood by us and supported our struggle… What we owe is to continue pledging solidarity… We stand with the people of Palestine.”

https://www.gov.za/news/speeches/minister-gwede-mantashe-freedom-day-2025-27-apr-2025

Address by Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources Gwede Mantashe on behalf of President Cyril Ramaphosa on the occasion of Freedom Day, AJ Swanepoel Stadium, Ermelo, 27 April 2025

>>22978090

> if I would be a president for more than 3 hours, I would declare that we must go and build in Orania. Black people must go and build there. And we mix them.

“Orania: South Africa’s most functional town - or its most misunderstood?” – Part 1

https://www.biznews.com/sarenewal/orania-south-africas-most-functional-town-most-misunderstood

Published on: 21 Apr 2025, 12:02 pm

• Orania thrives through self-reliance and zero state support

• Town upholds Afrikaner culture via education, economy, and local currency

• Critics allege segregation, but Orania cites democratic self-determination

Amidst the vast, dusty plains of the Northern Cape lies Orania, a unique Afrikaner community that emerged in the early 1990s as a bold experiment in self-determination.

What began as a vision for a space where Afrikaners could preserve their culture, language, and values has today developed into a functional, well-organized town.

Orania stands as a shining example of what can be achieved through vision, perseverance, and a strong sense of community — all without state subsidies, foreign aid, or the chaos that often plagues other South African municipalities.

A History of Dedication

Orania’s origins lie in South Africa’s turbulent transitional years, when the country’s political landscape was shifting dramatically.

In 1990, an abandoned village in the Northern Cape — originally a workers’ camp for the construction of the Vanderkloof Dam — was legally purchased by a group of Afrikaners under the leadership of Carel Boshoff III.

This land, which at the time held little value to others, was not seized or stolen, but honestly paid for and carefully developed. The founders’ goal was clear: to create a space where Afrikaners could safeguard their identity and values in a time of uncertainty, all within the framework of the South African Constitution.

Perhaps the Ingonyama Trust in Kwa Zulu-Natal was created with a similar goal in mind.

Be that as it may, from the beginning, Orania’s development has been a testament to self-sufficiency. The community built its own infrastructure, including water and power systems, roads, and public facilities.

They established their own school system, which offers education in Afrikaans and emphasizes Christian values and practical skills.

Today, Orania has its own currency, the Ora, which circulates to support the local economy, along with a thriving network of small businesses that create jobs and promote self-reliance.

>>22978097

“Orania: South Africa’s most functional town - or its most misunderstood?” – Part 2

https://www.biznews.com/sarenewal/orania-south-africas-most-functional-town-most-misunderstood

Published on: 21 Apr 2025, 12:02 pm

An Economic and Social Success Story

Orania’s economy is one of its greatest strengths. In contrast to many other small towns in South Africa, where economic stagnation and unemployment prevail, Orania has developed a vibrant local economy.

Agriculture — particularly the cultivation of pecans and grapes — forms the backbone of the economy, but the town also has a diverse range of businesses, from bakeries and construction companies to tech and service enterprises.

This economic activity is supported by a strong work ethic and a culture of cooperation, where residents actively support one another’s ventures.

Socially, Orania is equally impressive.

Crime is virtually non-existent, and the town’s clean, well-maintained streets and public spaces reflect a community that takes pride in its surroundings.

The school system produces excellent results, and cultural activities — such as traditional folk dancing, music festivals, and historical commemorations — strengthen communal bonds.

This stability and order stand in stark contrast to the service delivery crises plaguing many other South African municipalities, where power outages, water shortages, and corruption have become the norm.

Criticism and the Question of Self-Determination

Despite its successes, Orania is frequently criticized, particularly by certain political parties and public figures. The primary criticism is that the town is predominantly inhabited by white Afrikaners, which some interpret as a form of apartheid-like segregation.

However, this viewpoint ignores the fundamental principle upon which Orania is founded: self-determination within a democratic and constitutional framework.

Orania’s residents do not impose rules that unlawfully exclude or harm other groups. The focus is not on exclusion, but on preserving a specific cultural identity — something that, in other contexts such as indigenous communities or religious enclaves, is often recognized as a fundamental right.

The opposition to Orania raises important questions. Is the criticism truly rooted in ideological differences, or does it stem from a deeper discomfort with the town’s success?

Orania’s ability to build a functional, corruption-free community highlights the failures of other institutions. It is often easier to criticize a successful example than to create one.

Moreover, the principle of self-determination is selectively applied in South Africa. While other groups’ right to preserve their culture and traditions is often celebrated, Afrikaners who pursue the same goals are frequently viewed with suspicion.

This double standard warrants closer examination.

>>22978097

>>22978099

“Orania: South Africa’s most functional town - or its most misunderstood?” – Part 3

https://www.biznews.com/sarenewal/orania-south-africas-most-functional-town-most-misunderstood

Published on: 21 Apr 2025, 12:02 pm

A Lesson for South Africa

Orania’s story is not one of division, but of dedication and innovation.

In a country where service delivery is collapsing and economic challenges are mounting, Orania offers a model of what is possible when communities take their future into their own hands.

The town proves that small-scale, community-driven development can work — even in remote and challenging environments. It highlights the value of local self-governance, where communities can set their own priorities and manage resources efficiently.

Furthermore, Orania is a reminder that diversity in a democratic society does not only refer to racial or linguistic differences, but also to different ways of living and governing.

If South Africa truly wants to build a pluralistic society, there must be space for communities like Orania — just as there is space for other cultural or religious enclaves.

Recognizing this diversity can reduce, rather than heighten, tensions by allowing communities to preserve their identities while still being part of the broader national fabric.

Future Challenges and Potential

Orania is not without its challenges. The town’s small scale and remote location limit its economic growth, and the community will need to continue innovating to remain sustainable. Moreover, Orania is likely to face ongoing political and ideological opposition, requiring diplomatic and transparent communication to counter misconceptions.

Yet, these challenges also present opportunities. Orania can serve as a testing ground for other communities seeking self-governance and self-reliance, and its successes can inspire broader discussions about decentralization and local development in South Africa.

Final Thoughts

Orania is more than just a town; it is a symbol of what is possible when people with a shared vision work together to build their own future. It is not a threat to national unity, but a testament to the power of independence and cultural pride.

In a time when South Africa is grappling with economic stagnation, corruption, and social division, Orania’s story is one of hope and inspiration.

It deserves not only the right to exist, but recognition as a model of peaceful, productive, and self-sustaining development.

Perhaps it is time for South Africa to stop viewing Orania as an anomaly and begin to study its lessons.

In a country yearning for solutions, this small Northern Cape community may just offer a blueprint for a better, more self-reliant future.

>>22978036

>Until such time we tear this constitution and write our own constitution that will embrace our culture, that will embrace our norms, that will embrace our values because this constitution has changed us to be like zombies. Until such time we tear down this constitution, this constitution is enslaving us.

>>22978097

>>22978099

>>22978104

>Orania: a testament to the power of independence and cultural pride.

Afrikaners created their own "homeland" while Africans call for it but academics and the world condemned it..

”Self-Determination, International Law and the South African Bantustan Policy” [1978]

https://www.academia.edu/101180591/Self_Determination_International_Law_and_the_South_African_Bantustan_Policy

1978

An integral element of the South African apartheid policy is the permanent repatriation of most members of various government-designated African tribal groups to ten territorial areas around the country, designated as the respective "homelands" of each group. Citizenship for members of such groups is apparently to be transferred from South Africa as a whole to the respective bantustan, each having been granted internal self-government in many respects. The implementors of the bantustan policy see the territorial status of the bantustans as a precursor to independence, with a progressive reduction of blacks' privileges in South Africa as the program is further implemented. The bantustan of the Transkei requested and was granted independence by the Vorster government on October 26, 1976.

This Article will explore the legality under international law of the bantustan policy in South Africa-as distinguished from the legality of similar policies in the international territory of Namibia'-especially as that policy relates to the right of selfdetermination for black South Africans. Two comparatively recent United Nations General Assembly resolutions 2 provide a useful prescriptive focus. Both explicitly condemn the bantustan policy and declare it to be a violation of the United Nations Charter because of the denial of self-determination to black South Africans. To these must be added a third resolution 3 passed directly in response to the Transkei's change of status. The General Assembly resolutions raise the question whether maintaining the original territorial integrity of South Africa would help or hinder black South Africans to achieve self-determination, They also raise the questions of the permissibility under international law of intense coercion against blacks to prevent self-determination and the effect of coercion upon the international legal competence of black groups to conclude with the South African government certain transactions vital to the bantustan policy.

This Article concludes that the granting of "independence" to bantustan territories, as has been done for the Transkei and Bophuthatswana, and related South African policies, violate international law. A final question, then, is the scope of the expectations and legal obligations that flow to the international community from this violation.

The idea of "separate development" for Africans and whites originated, not surprisingly, among Afrikaners, especially from the then Prime Minister Voerwoerd in the 1950's. Its territorial manifestations have only recently become of international concern.

>>22978147

Take note

“Clash of Spears: Unraveling the Tribal Conflicts in South Africa”

https://african.nativetribes.info/clash-of-spears-unraveling-the-tribal-conflicts-in-south-africa/

Posted on March 1, 2024

In the heart of South Africa, amidst the vibrant tapestry of cultures, lies a stark reality that has plagued the nation for centuries: tribal wars. These conflicts, steeped in historical grievances, cultural divides, and resource scarcity, continue to cast a long shadow over the country’s progress and prosperity. The human toll is immeasurable, with countless lives lost, families torn apart, and communities left shattered in the wake of violence.

Tribal wars in South Africa are a complex web of historical, social, economic, and political factors. At their core, they often stem from centuries-old disputes over land, cattle, and other resources, which are exacerbated by poverty, unemployment, and inequality. The lack of effective governance and conflict resolution mechanisms further fuels tensions, leading to cycles of violence and retaliation. The target of these tribal wars is often innocent civilians, who bear the brunt of the violence and displacement.

The consequences of tribal wars in South Africa are far-reaching. They not only claim lives and destroy communities but also hinder economic development, discourage investment, and undermine the rule of law. The diversion of resources from essential services such as education, healthcare, and infrastructure further perpetuates poverty and inequality. Moreover, the deep-seated mistrust and animosity between warring tribes make reconciliation and lasting peace elusive.

South Africa’s tribal wars are a stark reminder of the enduring challenges facing the nation.

https://www.polilingua.com/blog/post/11-official-languages-of-south-africa-and-multilingualism.htm

South Africa’s linguistic landscape is as diverse as its people, featuring a remarkable distinction of having not one, not two, but eleven official languages. Each language reflects a unique culture within a nation, with its own distinct voice and heritage.

>>22978147

>>22978149

As John Vorster tried to explain to the world.

John Vorster (1974): “Firing Line with William F. Buckley Jr.: The Question of South Africa”

https://youtu.be/VVWh01yCoIQ

Feb 9, 2017

Episode S0132, Recorded on March 13, 1974

Guest: B. J. (Balthazar Johannes) Vorster

6:09 – “What you do mean in fact - maybe you were too polite to say it - it is said that we are in fact a police state. If that is the case then it is the only police state that I know of where you must do your level best to keep people out because as it happens at the moment that we have 1000s and 1000s of illegal black immigrants in this country and we can’t get them out.”

7:12 – “It is not widely known that there is severe press criticism but it has also been remarked that recently as a few months ago you threatened to close down certain newspapers in the event that they should publish copy quote, “which would lead to an explosive situation among various races.” Is that not absolute freedom then?… Naturally in our situation I think that each and every man who has the future of this country at heart will agree with me that the one thing we should avoid is to incite one race against another… If one race is incited to act violently to put it mildly against another race then certainly the government of the day must be entitled to take steps against it.“

9:59 – “The policy of separate development as I understand it has this point, roughly speaking, as follows; roughly 14% of South Africa is reserved for the bantustans… It is not a question of being reserved for them. That is where the mistake is made all along the line to interpret this situation. You must know something of the history of this country and its people. It so happens that more or less for all practical purposes the time the whites moved up from the Cape, the blacks moved down from the middle of Africa and they settled certain portions of what is now the Republic of South Africa. Xhosas settled the Transkei, the Zulus settled portions of Natal, Tswana settled portions of Western Transvaal, Sotho settled portions of Northern Transvaal, Venda settled another portion of Northern Transvaal and so I can go on. They claimed certain land and to this day, they still possess. So it is not a question that it was reserved for them. They settled the land and they got it to this very day and the whites settled the rest. Apart from the land they initially settled which is today still their land, in 1936 the then United Party under the leadership of General Hertzog as Prime Minister and General Smuts as Deputy Prime Minister… passed the law saying that in addition to that land which the black peoples originally settled, the whites at their expense should add 7 ¼ morgen of land and that land is still being bought up today… We didn’t put them there and said to them, “that is where you must live.” They settled that land, they picked that land and let me say, from an agricultural point of view and the rainfall point of view, it is the best land in South Africa.”

31:25 – “But what I do know because I was Minister of Justice in 1961 that an attempt was in fact made by the Communists to overthrow this government by sabotage and violence and these people were brought before the courts and they were sentenced… In actual fact, they were Communists… As a matter of fact, in the 50s the Communists shouted it from the rooftops that they were going to take over this country in 1963 and they still have not abandoned the idea that ultimately the communists will take over this country over the simple reason that they want to control the tip of South Africa so that they can control the Cape sea route which is the lifeline of Europe.”

34:01 – “The background of all of this is that there are many countries in the world and mainly for that reason they vote against us are annoyed with us because we haven’t got the system of one man one vote as far as the whole Republic is concerned and they won’t accept the policy of separate development which means that there is in fact a white state in South Africa and 8 black states consisting of different peoples with their own language, their own customs, their own traditions, etc., etc.”

41:07 – “You’ll find in practice the moment that you put Indian and black children in the same school, you have friction leading ultimately to violence.”

>>22978169

>“You’ll find in practice the moment that you put Indian and black children in the same school, you have friction leading ultimately to violence.”

>>22978149

Consider tensions between Africans and Indians in South Africa

“3 Indian-Origin students in South Africa injured in racist attack”

https://youtu.be/yhZY8pxKqlg

Feb 5, 2025

A shocking incident in South Africa has left three Indian-origin students in critical condition after they were brutally attacked outside Centenary Secondary School in Asherville on Tuesday. The attack has sparked outrage, with parents calling it a racially motivated assault.

https://www.facebook.com/IOLnews/videos/three-learners-from-centenary-high-school-in-durban-were-rushed-to-the-hospital-/1577622739791084/

>>22978231

>>22978169

“What's fuelling tensions between Black and Indian South Africans?”

https://youtu.be/ufozr7zeiuo

Sep 11, 2021

South Africa was recently hit by its worst unrest since apartheid after former president Jacob Zuma was jailed for failing to co-operate with a corruption probe. What started off as protests quickly descended into looting and violence, especially in Durban against South Africa’s Indian community, and led to the founding of vigilante groups. We look at what could be fuelling these ethnic tensions.

https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/10/world/violence-spreads-in-durban-area-of-south-africa.html

• Aug. 10, 1985

Violence and confrontation spread deeper into black townships around Durban today, pitting black rioters against white police officers and Indian vigilantes armed with shotguns and pistols.

At one point, the arson and looting engulfed the former home of Mohandas K. Gandhi. The house was pillaged and buildings and schools next to it were set on fire by black looters.

The violence around Durban started Tuesday night and was apparently linked to protests by black activists over the assassination of Victoria Mxenge, a black civil rights lawyer closely linked to the United Democratic Front, an anti-apartheid coalition. The front's affiliates generally oppose Inkatha.

But since then, the unrest in this area far from the 36 districts under the emergency decree has taken a different turn. It has appeared to lose any ideological direction in a morass of racial hatred between blacks and Indians, recalling the massacre of 142 Indians by Zulus in 1949.

This is not 1949! one angry young Indian shouted today after his colleagues fired shotguns at a black crowd. This is 1985, and we are ready for them!

Most Slain Were Black

Only a few of the more than 50 people reported killed here were Indians; the rest were blacks killed by the police, by Indians and in a few cases by other blacks.

In other areas, violence by blacks has been mostly directed at the police presence in black townships or at those blacks considered as collaborators with the white authorities. But in this township, the targets seem to be almost exclusively Indians.

“ANC VIPs of Violence Full”

https://youtu.be/BniyOkX09G8

Government trying to justify its rule?… Necklacing, Mbokodo, camp Quatro, etc. should also be investigated.

“South Africa to probe alleged suppression of justice in apartheid-era killings”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/south-africa-to-probe-alleged-suppression-of-justice-in-apartheid-era-killings/ar-AA1DV0uB

4/30/2025

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa is setting up a judicial commission of inquiry to establish whether attempts were made to prevent the investigation or prosecution of apartheid-era crimes, his office said on Wednesday.

The move is the outcome of settlement discussions in a court case brought by families of the victims of political killings and disappearances that happened decades ago, who say post-apartheid governments never properly investigated those crimes.

"Allegations of improper influence in delaying or hindering the investigation and prosecution of apartheid-era crimes have persisted from previous administrations," the presidency said in a statement.

"Through this commission, President Ramaphosa is determined that the true facts be established and the matter brought to finality."

After apartheid ended in 1994, South Africa set up a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) to help uncover human rights violations perpetrated under white minority rule.

The TRC handed over a list of several hundred cases to state prosecutors for investigation, but many were never pursued.

The 25 family members and survivors who filed the case in a Pretoria court in January are also seeking about 167 million rand ($9 million) from the state in damages.

The government will ask for their application to be suspended pending the commission's findings, the presidency said. It did not give a time frame.

The Foundation for Human Rights, an NGO supporting the families, said that they welcomed the establishment of a commission of inquiry but opposed the president's move to delay a ruling on their damages claim.

"Instead of entering into mediation, he has decided to offload the declaration of rights and constitutional damages onto a commission of inquiry, which has no authority to deal with it," it said in a statement.

>>22970972

>>>22632198 Shadow Empire: How USAID and Ford Foundation helped the CIA control India’s policy & culture

>>22978036

>this constitution is enslaving us

>>22979475

>>22979456

Ford Foundation and Legal Resource Centres in South Africa

https://www.fordfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/2000-ford-foundation-grantees-and-the-pursuit-of-justice.pdf

In early 1998, Mary McClymont, senior director of the Foundation’s Peace and Social Justice program, assembled an international team of legal scholars, activists, and social scientists to conduct an in-depth look at the activities of the Foundation and its grantees in the area of law-related work. The Global Law Programs Learning Initiative focused much of its research on five countries: China, South Africa, the Philippines, Bangladesh, and the United States; and two regions: Eastern Europe and the Andean and Southern Cone areas of South America. Additional visits were made to other countries where Ford works. Team members reviewed literature, conducted on-site visits, and interviewed Foundation staff, grantees, and other experts. The lessons that emerged from their work are compiled in a separate volume of papers for funders, practitioners and legal analysts, entitled Many Roads to Justice: The Law-Related Work of Ford Foundation Grantees Around the World.

Internationally, public interest litigation is a promising and increasingly popular strategy for protecting and promoting rights, and it has already borne fruit in various countries. The Foundation began supporting such work in the 1970s at the Legal Resources Centre(LRC) in South Africa. LRC and others’ challenges to apartheid’s legal structure helped pave the way for South Africa’s transition to democracy and demonstrated that law could be used by advocates to seek justice, and not only by the South African government to impose repression. LRC has continued to represent disadvantaged South Africans since the fall of apartheid.

To recap…

https://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/digital/collections/oral_hist/carnegie/pdfs/john-dugard.pdf

John Dugard: “David Hood went to the Carnegie board of trustees and persuaded the board to make a grant to the University of the Witwatersrand to set up the Centre for Applied Legal Studies, with one of its early tasks the establishment of the Legal Resources Centre. So that meant that in 1978 we received funding for public education in the field of law, but with one of the main functions the establishment of the Legal Resources Centre. And thereafter, Arthur Chaskalson and I visited the United States to raise funds for the Legal Resources Centre, and in the following year the Legal Resources Centre was set up with funding from Ford Foundation, Rockefeller, and Carnegie.”

https://www.wits.ac.za/cals/about-us/our-history/

CALS is one of South Africa's oldest public interest law organisations. It was founded by Prof. John Dugard and based at Wits University during the apartheid era when human rights groups simply did not exist. With three original staff members and funding from the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the organisation made a significant impact first as an applied research centre and later as a law clinic.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-11-29-professor-sandy-liebenberg-the-constitutions-keeper/

However, her [Professor Sandy Liebenberg] biggest break in rights came when in 1994 she was nominated by the ANC as one of the four constitutional experts to sit on the technical committee that advised Theme Committee 4 (Fundamental Rights) during the Constitution drafting process of the Constitutional Assembly. The others were Halton Cheadle, John Dugard and Ignatius Rautenbach.

https://www.boell.de/en/2024/01/10/south-africas-icj-case-against-israel-judicial-stress-test-multilateral-system

South Africa simultaneously embarked on compiling the 84-page submission to the ICJ to make a determination of genocide against Israeli military assaults in Gaza.

The South African legal team is led by Professor John Dugard, a former member of the United Nations Law Commission and professor of international law at the Universities of Cambridge (United Kingdom), Leiden (The Netherlands), and Witswatersrand (Johannesburg).

>>22978036

>Until such time we tear down this constitution, this constitution is enslaving us.

>>22979492

>Internationally, public interest litigation is a promising and increasingly popular strategy for protecting and promoting rights, and it has already borne fruit in various countries. The Foundation began supporting such work in the 1970s at the Legal Resources Centre(LRC) in South Africa

>Centre for Applied Legal Studies, with one of its early tasks the establishment of the Legal Resources Centre

>CALS… founded by Prof. John Dugard

>South Africa vs Israel: The South African legal team is led by Professor John Dugard

>>22979475

>>22979456

Legal Resources Centre Connections; “Kill the Boer” case, South Africa vs Israel ICJ case, Zondo Commission, Classifying the Chinese as “black people”, South Africa’s Constitution

Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi

• Advocate Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, a lawyer, public speaker and author whose current work for the Legal Resources Centre and Johannesburg Bar spans public law, labour law and competition - member of the advisory panel on land reform. https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/president-cyril-ramaphosa-appoints-advisory-panel-land-reform-21-sep-2018

• On January 11, South African lawyer Tembeka Ngcukaitobi presented video of Israeli soldiers singing a song with the line “no uninvolved civilians” to the International Court of Justice genocide hearing in the Hague. This video, Ngcukaitobi stated, is “not open to neutral interpretation or after-the-fact rationalizations and reinterpretations by Israel.” Statements made by leaders, Ngcukaitobi insisted, were an indication of “state policy,” and the “genocidal intent was not ambiguous” to those hearing it. Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, incidentally, was the lawyer who defended political leader Julius Malema’s use of the song “Kill the Boer” during a 2022 trial in which the Johannesburg High Court ruled that its use did not constitute hate speech… South Africa is leading the charge in accusing Israel of genocide https://thebridgehead.ca/2024/01/17/kill-the-boer-south-africas-hypocrisy-on-israel/

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo

• After his BJuris degree, he worked at the Legal Resources Centre (LRC) to secure funding to further his studies… Member of the Ministerial Task Team that drafted the Labour Relations Bill for the post-apartheid era, first chairperson of the Governing Body of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), served on the Goldstone Commission, Judge President of the Labour Court and the Labour Appeal Court, chair of the Language Committee of Heads of Court, Constitutional Court judge, Deputy Chief Justice of the Republic of South Africa and current Acting Chief Justice, and Chair of the Judicial Commission into State Capture. https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/chief-justice-raymond-zondo

George Bizos

• Bizos, known as one of the icons of South Africa's fight for democracy, died of old age at his home in Johannesburg, his family said in a joint statement with the Legal Resource Centre (LRC), where he was a member. "George Bizos is one of those lawyers who contributed immensely to the attainment of our democracy," President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a televised statement, calling him one of the architects of the country's constitution. https://www.devdiscourse.com/article/politics/1205479-south-african-human-rights-lawyer-george-bizos-dies-at-92

• [Chinese Association of South Africa]’s lawyers, including renowned human rights advocate George Bizos, SC, argued that like other designated “coloureds”, Chinese people were discriminated against in several areas, such as education, employment, ownership of property, and voting rights… Judge Cynthia Pretorius ordered that South African Chinese people did in fact fall within the ambit of “black people” in both the Employment Equity Act and the B-BBEE Act. https://www.phfirms.co.za/kc/Data/South_African_Chinese_%E2%80%98black_people%E2%80%99court_rules2880.asp

https://lrc.org.za/who-we-are/

In 1979 a group of activist lawyers, including prominent human rights lawyers Arthur Chaskalson, Felicia Kentridge and Geoff Budlender, created the Legal Resources Centre with two goals in mind: use the law to resist the oppressive apartheid system, and provide a training ground for public interest lawyering and young black lawyers. The LRC soon became well known for using the law as an instrument to challenge apartheid injustices and for representing black South Africans against the apartheid state. The LRC played an important role in helping to dismantle apartheid legal structures.

A Timeline of LRC History

1996: Members of the LRC play an important role in developing the new Constitution of South Africa.

>>22979530

>Arthur Chaskalson

>>22979492

>>22979475

>>22970972

>>>22632198 Shadow Empire: How USAID and Ford Foundation helped the CIA control India’s policy & culture

“First Constitutional Court President and former Chief Justice, Arthur Chaskalson has passed on.”

https://youtu.be/BRcXzJc1CtU

Dec 1, 2012

Arthur Chaskalson (First Constitutional Court President); “Ford Foundation was regarded as a subversive organization by the South African government… seen as an indirect Communist plot”

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/04/world/africa/arthur-chaskalson-south-african-chief-justice-dies-at-81.html

Dec. 3, 2012

“The last time I was in court was to hear whether or not I was going to be sentenced to death,” Nelson Mandela said in 1995. Mr. Mandela, South Africa’s president, was speaking during the inauguration of Arthur Chaskalson as the first presiding judge of their country’s newly established Constitutional Court. The moment signified the new order that Mr. Mandela had for decades fought to achieve: a majority-ruled nation where minority rights were protected by a Constitution and a bill of rights.

Justice Chaskalson, who died on Saturday in Johannesburg at 81, had helped write that Constitution and create the court that would be its safeguard. He had earlier been part of the team of defense lawyers that saved Mr. Mandela and other antiapartheid activists from the death penalty at the infamous Rivonia trial in 1963-64. Mr. Mandela, convicted of sabotage and other crimes, spent 27 years in prison before being released in 1990.

Blacks wanted an end to what had effectively been a parliamentary dictatorship, even though they would now dominate Parliament.

https://dlc.library.columbia.edu/ohac/10.7916/d8-p5gd-c656

Oral history interview with Arthur Chaskalson 1999

(born 1931) Establishment of Legal Resources Centre [LRC] 1978: position as director 1978-1993, initial funding by Carnegie Corporation of New York [Carnegie], Ford Foundation, and Rockefeller Brothers Fund; LRC' s close relationship with Centre for Applied Legal Studies: separate entity from LRC, research focused

Portion of the Transcript;

“Ford Foundation was regarded as a subversive organization by the South African government. At one stage some of the people from Ford had difficulty in getting into the country, and they were one of the initial funders of the organization. I think the fact that funding came from the United States of America and not Eastern Europe might have been of some moment, in the sense that it wasn't seen as a direct Communist plot; it was seen as an indirect Communist plot, using left-leaning people in the United States, who were really either surrogates or fellow travelers of the Communists to do their dirty work for them.”

https://doi.org/10.7916/d8-p5gd-c656

https://aaregistry.org/story/arthur-chaskalson-disarmed-aparthied/

Arthur Chaskalson was born on this date in 1931. He was a white Jewish-South African lawyer, judge, and activist. Born in Johannesburg, he came from a modest background; his father was a Lithuanian immigrant who died when he was five.

>>22970972

>>>22632198 Shadow Empire: How USAID and Ford Foundation helped the CIA control India’s policy & culture

>>22979475

>>22979492

>>22979530

>>22979868

Did the world merge with the Soviet Union through organisations like the Ford Foundation?

“Norman Dodd and Ford Foundation”

https://youtu.be/os9WDdznSN4

1:32 – “All of us [Foundations] have a hand in the making of policies here; have had experience either with the OSS during the war or European economic administration after the war…”

2:28 – “We [Ford Foundation] shall use our grantmaking power… in the United States that it can be comfortably merged with the Soviet Union.”

https://ratical.org/ratville/CAH/FordFandCIA.html

15 December 2001

The CIA considers foundations such as Ford "The best and most plausible kind of funding cover" (Ibid, p. 135). The collaboration of respectable and prestigious foundations, according to one former CIA operative, allowed the Agency to fund "a seemingly limitless range of covert action programs affecting youth groups, labor unions, universities, publishing houses and other private institutions" (p. 135). The latter included "human rights" groups beginning in the 1950s to the present. One of the most important "private foundations" collaborating with the CIA over a significant span of time in major projects in the cultural Cold War is the Ford Foundation.

Fall of the Berlin was on 9 November 1989. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-50013048

Nelson Mandela was released from prison on February 11, 1990. https://www.nelsonmandela.org/news/entry/mandela-walks-free-35-years-remembered

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-11-vw-81-story.html

June 11, 1990

Israeli businessman Mendel Kaplan reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a sheaf of papers written in Hebrew and English. In mundane words and numbers, the documents detail housing construction for Soviet Jews emigrating to Israel in a modern exodus that sometimes sets the world on edge.

Kaplan, a steel and wire manufacturer who doubles as chairman of the Jewish Agency Board of Governors, is in Los Angeles on a private trip.

Since the Soviet Union liberalized emigration policies in the spring of 1989, some 51,700 Soviet Jews have arrived in Israel. Estimates of how many of the Soviet Union’s 1.5 to 2 million Jews ultimately will leave have varied widely, ranging up to 1 million.

Kaplan is a native of South Africa and maintains ties with that country’s Jewish community. Although he supports an end to apartheid, Kaplan says he draws no direct parallels with Soviet Jewish emigration and the freedom drives of black South Africans.

https://banotes.org/international-relations/collapse-ussr-shaping-new-world-order/

December 9, 2023

The Collapse of the USSR: Shaping a New World Order: As the grip of central Soviet control weakened, the republics sensed an opportunity… Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania were among the first to declare their intent to break away. [Take note: 90% of all Jews in South Africa are Litvaks [Lithuanians], https://vilnews.com/2011-01-litvaks-in-south-africa]

In Russia, Boris Yeltsin rose to the forefront as the first president of the Russian Federation. The transition was rocky, with immediate economic and political challenges, but it also opened Russia to the world in a way that had never been possible during the Soviet era.

The USSR’s collapse not only signified the end of the Cold War but also the beginning of a unipolar world order, with the United States emerging as the sole superpower. This shift had profound implications for international relations and the global balance of power.

The absence of a rival superpower gave the United States unprecedented influence on the world stage. It allowed for the spread of liberal democracy and free-market capitalism as the dominant global ideologies, shaping international policies and alliances for years to come.

>>22979885

>>22979868

>Rivonia trial in 1963-64

>>22978036

>we tear this constitution

>>22978090

>We stand with the people of Palestine

>>22979530

>South Africa vs Israel ICJ case

World seems to be in a Jewish battleground.

Apartheid vs ANC; Consider Nelson Mandela’s historical ties to the Israeli Jews to understand the Israeli/Palestinian Conflict and South Africa’s involvement

http://www.mandela.gov.za/mandela_speeches/before/640420_trial.htm

Statement by Nelson Mandela from the dock at the opening of the defence case in the Rivonia Trial, Pretoria Supreme Court – Pretoria, 20 April 1964

Incidentally, the terms High Command and Regional Command were an importation from the Jewish national underground organization Irgun Zvai Leumi, which operated in Israel between 1944 and 1948.

[The Irgun Zvai Leumi (National Military Organization) was a Jewish terrorist organization that transitioned from a terrorist group to a political party. As a movement the group was founded in 1931 under Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s leadership, but even then their operations did not include violence against their enemies, the British or Arabs. Not until 1939, when group leaders recognized the need to start initiating violence, can the Irgun really be called a terrorist organization. The source of the Irgun’s grievances can be found in the settlement of Israel... C.L. Sulzberger interviews Menachem Begin, one of the most prominent leaders of the Irgun, and writes that “the extremist organization Irgun Zvai Leumi does not recognize the partition of Palestine as binding upon its supporters and is insistent that the State of Israel shall include all of the former Palestinian mandate as well as all of the Kingdom of Trans-Jordan” (Sulzberger 9). https://www.lycoming.edu/schemata/pdfs/sellers.pdf]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/20/nelson-mandela-weapons-training-mossad-agents

Fri 20 Dec 2013 17.33 CET

Nelson Mandela 'received weapons training from Mossad agents in 1962'

Mandela visited other African countries in 1962 in order to drum up support for the African National Congress's fight against the apartheid regime in South Africa. While in Ethiopia, he sought help from the Israeli embassy, using a pseudonym, according to the letter – classified top secret – which was sent to officials in Israel in October 1962. Its subject line was the "Black Pimpernel", a term used by the South African press to refer to Mandela.

https://forward.com/fast-forward/188856/jewish-groups-had-complex-relationship-with-nelson/

The roots of the mutual suspicions between the Jewish leadership and Mandela were deep. Jews were on both sides of the battle over South African apartheid, both in South Africa and around the world. “There were progressive Jews in South Africa who played a key role as whites in supporting Mandela and the early efforts of the ANC,” Teutsch said. “There were also establishment whites in the Jewish community who supported the status quo… And of course both of those groups appealed to Jews elsewhere for their support.”

Israel had a military relationship with the apartheid regime, offering to sell them nuclear arms in 1975. At the same time, many Jewish organizations in the U.S. actively opposed Mandela’s imprisonment. In 1986, B’nai Brith urged then-South African president P.W. Botha to free Mandela.

https://apnews.com/general-news-37f88cba81fd4690be621ffee72a5e71

According to other documents released by the archives, Israel maintained a strong interest in Mandela’s well-being after his arrest and throughout the Rivonia Trial, where he was convicted of sabotage in 1964 and sentenced to life in prison.

According to the archives, Israel also had an interest in the case because about one third of the defendants were Jewish, and Israel feared the case could spread anti-Semitism in South Africa.

One letter, dated April 21, 1964 and written by Azriel Harel, an Israeli diplomat in South Africa at the time, called for rallying international opinion to prevent the Rivonia defendants from receiving death sentences.

And now there is a term; “Israeli Apartheid” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_apartheid

>>22982284

>Israel also had an interest in the case because about one third of the defendants were Jewish… Azriel Harel, an Israeli diplomat in South Africa at the time, called for rallying international opinion to prevent the Rivonia defendants from receiving death sentences.

>>22979492

>>22979868

>Arthur Chaskalson (First Constitutional Court President)… helped write that Constitution

>>22979530

>George Bizos… calling him one of the architects of the country's constitution.

Rivonia Trial 1963 – 1964; "the trial that changed South Africa”

https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/rivonia-trial-1963-1964

Often referred to as "the trial that changed South Africa,” in October 1963, ten leading opponents of apartheid went on trial for their lives on charges of sabotage.

In the Rivonia Trial, the ‘accused’ addressed this problem by using the courts as a site of struggle. They argued that the law was drawn up without the consent of the majority; it was enforced to ensure the perpetuation of an unjust system, and therefore the struggle would be waged to establish a new system, including a legal system that would embody the values of a non-racial constitution that protected human rights.

On 30 October 1963 ten defendants appeared in the Pretoria Supreme Court charged on two counts of sabotage. The specific charges the accused faced were: (1) recruiting persons for training in the preparation and use of explosives and in guerrilla warfare for the purpose of violent revolution and committing acts of sabotage; (2) conspiring to commit the aforementioned acts and to aid foreign military units when they invaded the Republic; (3) acting in these ways to further the objects of communism; and (4) soliciting and receiving money for these purposes from sympathisers in Algeria, Ethiopia, Liberia, Nigeria, Tunisia, and elsewhere.

The defence team comprised of Joel Joffe, who was the instructing attorney, Bram Fischer, Vernon Berrange, Arthur Chaskalson and George Bizos. The trial judge was Justice Quartus de Wet, with the Prosecution led by Dr Percy Yutar. The Verwoerd government was hoping for the maximum sentence for the accused i.e. the death penalty. From the outset, the defence team informed their clients that they should expect the worst. All ten accused pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In presenting the prosecution’s case, Yutar claimed that the accused were all members of what he considered ‘a cabinet of the government soon after the overthrow of the state’. [They already planned it then!]

Soon after the trial defence lawyer Bram Fischer was arrested and put on trial for ‘supporting communism’. Many believe the state went after Fischer because the Rivonia trialists had not received the death penalty. Fischer’s case received much attention, as Fischer was an Afrikaner fighting against an Afrikaner government. He was sentenced to life in prison and was only released when he was critically ill.

>>22979885

>90% of all Jews in South Africa are Litvaks [Lithuanians], https://vilnews.com/2011-01-litvaks-in-south-africa

>>22982284

>>22982337

>Yutar claimed that the accused were all members of what he considered ‘a cabinet of the government soon after the overthrow of the state’. [They already planned it then!]

“Percy Yutar, 90; Led Prosecution of Mandela in 1964 Treason Case”

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-jul-17-my-yutar17-story.html

July 17, 2002 12 AM PT

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Percy Yutar, the prosecutor who won life sentences against Nelson Mandela and other African National Congress leaders in the 1964 Rivonia treason trial, has died. He was 90.

Yutar rose to become the first Jewish attorney general in the country when he was named the top lawyer of the Orange Free State in 1968.

Joel Joffe, the lead defense attorney in the trial, said later that Yutar was particularly aggressive toward the Jewish defendants.

He “seemed to regard it as a duty to prove to the government that there were ‘good Jews,’ through his own enthusiastic persecution of these subversive Jews,” Joffe said.

Despite his energetic prosecution in the Rivonia case, Yutar insisted he had saved them from hanging by charging them only with sabotage instead of treason, though sabotage also carried the death sentence.

Yutar later called Mandela, whom he had once accused of being a Communist stooge plotting a bloody revolution, “a saintly man.”

He was born in Cape Town after his family emigrated from Lithuania. His father was a butcher, and Yutar was expected to work in the family business, but he was seriously injured in an accident that left the fingers on one hand mangled.

After winning the Rivonia case, Yutar was named attorney general of the Orange Free State and later the Transvaal. He retired 12 years later.

“Azania Critical Theory | Willem Gravett | TPP #41”

https://youtu.be/WX55C4Mpzjc

Apr 23, 2025

In this week's episode of The Pioneer Podcast, Dr. Willem Gravett, a law lecturer at Akademia, is back for another conversation on the phenomenon of Azania Critical Theory. We discuss the meaning of this theory, where it is taught and what the consequences of this theory could be.

4:08 – “Azania Critical Theory pretends to be something… that originated on the African continent. It did not. It is nothing but American Critical Race Theory.”

13:39 “Azania Critical Theory is really revolutionary violence dressed up in intellectual finery but at its heart beats repression and revolution and division and destruction… Marxism started out as a theory, Nazism started as a theory. Today’s radical theory turns into tomorrow’s grim reality if we don’t listen or take head of the lessons of history.”

17:25 “The research actually shows it’s when you have like Azania Critical Theory, the proponents of dehumanization… coupled with an exaggerated sense of victimhood which is exactly what Azania Critical Theory is. It portrays black peole as forever oppressed as if 1994 didn’t happened.”

19:36 “Azania Critical Theory is not about mending relationships and broken systems in South Africa. It’s about ending South Africa completely so that a black socialist utopia can be built ontop of the ruins.”

27:21 “Theology becomes anti-theology, he divine becomes anti-divine, the law becomes anti-law which is really what the proponents of Azania Critical Theory wants because they view the legal system in South Africa as violent, as white law and as not being able to address any of the issues that black people face.

30:08 “[George Orwell] “Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable and to give the appearance of solidity to pure wind.” And this is what in my view Azania Critical Theory is.”

Canada #76

The long-forgotten concert that helped defeat Hitler – and it didn’t happen in Moscow

8 May, 2025

While the Red Army was bringing the victory closer, the famous music manifesto of resistance against Nazism was performed in South Africa

As the world celebrates the 80th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi Germany by the Red Army and its allies, there is a little-known story waiting to come to light about music masterpiece that helped raise funds in Africa for Soviet Russia during the Second World War.

On 9 July 1944, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony, a work that became a music manifesto of resistance to Nazism, was premiered at the Metro Theatre of Johannesburg, South Africa. In a concert hall filled to capacity, conductor Jeremy Schulman raised his baton, and the orchestra began playing the opening theme: a mechanical march that exemplified the stomping sound of Nazi boots.

That’s how South Africa joined the world premiere of a symphony written during the siege of Leningrad (presently – St. Petersburg, Russia’s northern capital), which lasted almost 900 days: from 8 September 1941 up to 27 January of 1944.

A symphony born in hell

By the time of its South African debut, the Leningrad Symphony had already acquired the status of a legend. Shostakovich began to compose it in September 1941 when the Germans were about to encircle Leningrad. He finished the first three parts under Nazi shelling, completing the score after evacuation from the city.

The premiere took place on 5 March 1942 in the city of Kuibyshev (now Samara), and on 9 August of the same year – in Leningrad itself. Musicians had to be urgently rotated from the frontline to perform in the besieged city; some of them died of exhaustion and malnutrition.

The symphony was not only a work of art – it was also an act of psychological warfare. German and Finnish soldiers deployed on the outskirts of the city realized: it is impossible to crush Leningrad’s will for resistance.

Premiere under the African sky: “stirring and fascinating”

The musical score was brought to South Africa via Iran and Egypt as a part of cultural diplomacy of the USSR. Solomon ‘Solly’ Aronowsky, a Russian Empire-born Jewish violinist, helped to organize the concert. He saw the symphony as an instrument for uniting the voices of millions fighting for freedom. Eventually, the symphonic masterpiece was performed in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Johannesburg, 9 July 1944. The concert opened with the first performance of the symphony in Africa. Jeremy Schulman conducted the orchestra. One of South African newspapers described it this way:

“The first movement is the most outstanding, with its stirring and fascinating intermingling of themes, expressive of battle clashes and warm human suffering, and the exaltant determination to beat back the ominous threat of tyranny. The second and third movements are more subdued, but the fourth recaptures the spirit of triumphant resurrection.”

The program also included arias from Rimsky-Korsakov and Tchaikovsky operas sung by soprano Xenia Belmas. The proceeds from the ticket sales were donated to the Medical Aid for Russia, a prominent South African charity.

Two month later, on 11 September 1944, the Cape Town Municipal Orchestra conducted by Dr William Pickerill played the symphony at the Cape Town City Hall.

The controversies around

Organizing such events turned out to be a challenge for South African society, then divided by racial and ideological contradictions. At that time the Non-European majority was raising its voice through resistance campaigns and trade unions, while everyday life remained riven by degrading segregationist laws that excluded most black Africans, Indians, and Coloureds from fair land ownership, political representation, and public education. Such policy of racial discrimination laid the foundations of the apartheid regime that lasted in South Africa until 1994.

Who supported the premiere? The Friends of the Soviet Union (FSU), a left-leaning formation of white intellectuals and black activists, that used the symphony to promote anti-fascist ideas. FSU pamphlets calling for solidarity with Soviet Russia were distributed at the concerts.

Who opposed it? The National Party of South Africa. Its leaders called the symphony ‘communist propaganda.’

However, despite these disputes, all shows were sold out. In Cape Town, during the celebration of Russian national day on 7 November 1944, the City Hall was full.

After the German capitulation, the symphony did not lose its relevance. In 1945, it was included in the program of a concert to raise funds for a hospital in Stalingrad. The Cape Town Municipal Orchestra performed the first part, and violinist Ralph Koorland captivated the audience with Tchaikovsky’s ‘Serenade’. In January 1946, the symphony was performed again as part of the ‘Russian Evening’ in Johannesburg.

Thus, Shostakovich sent a message to the post-war world: even though the war is over, the ideas of Nazism may still be smoldering.

https://www.rt.com/africa/616425-shostakovichs-leningrad-symphony-in-sa/

South African Port Union Plans More Talks to End Wage Dispute

By Katlego Mtshali Bloomberg May 10, 2025

May 9, 2025(Bloomberg) —The main labor union at South Africa’s state port and rail company said it will continue talks next week aimed at resolving a wage dispute and averting a potential strike.

Negotiations will take place on May 14-15, the United National Transport Union said in a statement in Johannesburg, the commercial capital.

UNTU, which represents more than half of the 46,000 employees at Transnet SOC Ltd., rejected an offer by the company to increase pay by 6% over the next two years and 5.5% in the third year, and demanded a 10% raise. The smaller South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union accepted the pay offer in March.

“We remain hopeful that Transnet will give due consideration to these wage proposals, helping avert industrial action that could further destabilize an already fragile economy,” UNTU said in the statement.

Transnet’s rail and ports facilities are crucial to South African exports of bulk commodities and any work stoppage would deal a blow to South Africa’s economy, which grew at an average rate of less than 1% over the past decade. A strike at Transnet in 2022 was estimated by the Minerals Council South Africa to have cost mining companies about 815 million rand ($45 million) a day.

https://gcaptain.com/south-african-port-union-plans-more-talks-to-end-wage-dispute/

Guest Workers from China would make them redundant

>>22978036

>Mineral energy complex, as I’ve said earlier on, is the genesis of all social evil in South Africa.

”GOLD & DIAMONDS: Passing the Scepter” (1951)

https://time.com/archive/6885417/gold-diamonds-passing-the-scepter/

February 12, 1951 12:00 AM GMT-5

From a massive, block-long building in Johannesburg last week came a discreet announcement that set the trading marts of the world buzzing. Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, the world’s king of diamonds and its prime minister of gold, was giving up a bit of his vast suzerainty. At 70, he relinquished directorships in seven of his 30-odd gold-mining companies—a step towards turning over his empire to his son and spit & image, 41-year-old Harry Oppenheimer.

This did not mean that Sir Ernest, last and greatest of South Africa’s great “Randlords,” was going to take things much easier. In his three-story citadel he would still work his usual 16 hours a day, still sit firmly in the chairmanship of his Anglo American Corp. of South Africa, Ltd., the master holding company through which he has built an economic pyramid of more than 200 companies worth more than $2.5 billion. They control 15% of the Transvaal’s gold production, 43% of its coal, 50% of its explosives, 9% of the world’s copper, and a bewildering hodgepodge of enterprises ranging from breakfast foods to railways.

Acres of Diamonds. As chairman of De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., a syndicate of seven companies, Sir Ernest also controls 95% of the world’s supply of diamonds, and sees to it that the supply is always less than the demand. As always, war and inflation are now swelling the demand for diamonds, and Sir Ernest’s cartel has opened up two idle mines to step up production. The wholesale price of gem diamonds has risen 20% in six months, and U.S. rearmament has sent the price of industrial diamonds (vital for cutting tools) soaring 100% since Korea. Not only capitalists buy diamonds; an “unknown buyer” thought to be the Soviet Union has suddenly started buying all it can in the Belgian markets, presumably to build its own stockpile for machine tools for war.

Sir Ernest, who has one of the world’s prize collections of rare diamonds, started learning about stones at 16. The son of a middle-class Jewish family in Friedberg, Germany, he went to London to learn the diamond-cutting trade, was sent to South Africa at 22 to look after his London employer’s diamond properties. The year was 1902, when Cecil Rhodes, who had formed the De Beers combine out of hundreds of small claims, died murmuring: “So little done, so much to do.” Oppenheimer was just the man to do it. He stayed in Kimberley and went into mining on his own.

Shrewd, eager and personable, he was enough of a success by 1912 to be elected Kimberley’s mayor at 32 (he was twice reelected, later went to Parliament). In 1917 he teamed up with an American engineer, William Lincoln Honnold, and, with backing from J. P. Morgan and others, formed Anglo American.

At the end of World War I, Sir Ernest got a five-year exclusive sales contract covering the rich diamond fields of Germany’s former colony in South-West Africa [now Namibia]. He used this tremendous lever to pry his way into the clam-tight De Beers syndicate. In 1929, after secretly buying up 20% of De Beers’ shares, he took over the syndicate. It keeps its tight control of diamonds by persuading any who find new fields to join the syndicate and reap the benefits of its controlled prices.

New Bonanza. Sir Ernest’s biggest interest now is not diamonds, but gold, from which Anglo American last year made £11 million ($30.8 million) profit. His Anglo American is the biggest single holder in the immensely rich new fields of the Orange Free State, and has put up more than half of the £200 million ($560 million) being spent to develop them. Believing that South Africa must wipe out the disgrace of its mining “kraals,” where Bantu workers live like prisoners, he has led the spending of £70 million by mine operators to develop a model village to house 100,000 _ people at the new Free State mining center near Odendaalsrust. By July he expects to start taking gold out of his first mine there, open another shortly after. Says Sir Ernest: “This is the most extensive mining development the world has ever known.”

In this new venture, Sir Ernest’s right-hand man is son Harry, a deputy chairman of Anglo American. Harry, who was educated at Oxford, and captained a company of Britain’s “Desert Rats” against Rommel’s troops in World War II, lives with his wife and two children in a smaller villa adjoining “Brenthurst,” the palatial residence of his father and stepmother, outside Johannesburg… When Parliament is in session (Harry has succeeded to his father’s old seat*), he drives the nearly 1,000 miles to Cape Town at breakneck speed.

*In the party of the late great General Smuts, opposed to fanatically anti-Negro Malan.

>>23024791

>At the end of World War I, Sir Ernest got a five-year exclusive sales contract covering the rich diamond fields of Germany’s former colony in South-West Africa [now Namibia].

>When Parliament is in session (Harry has succeeded to his father’s old seat*… In the party of the late great General Smuts

>>22978036

>>22982284

>Irgun Zvai Leumi

>>22978147

>homeland

>>22979885

>https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-06-11-vw-81-story.html; “Black South Africans are already in their homeland, [Mendel Kaplan] says, whereas Soviet Jewish emigration to Israel is another act in the age-old Jewish search for a homeland.”

Jan Smuts’s significant influence; signing WW1 & WW2 peace treaties, drafted United Nations Covenant, signing to establish both the League of Nations and UN, Balfour Declaration, etc. - Part 1

https://spartacus-educational.com/FWWsmuts.htm

In 1917 David Lloyd George invited Smuts to join the Imperial War Cabinet in London. He soon obtained a high reputation and was an influential figure in devising Allied war strategy. While in England he played a leading role in establishing the Royal Air Force.

At the Paris Peace Conference, Smuts worked closely with Woodrow Wilson, in advocating a League of Nations. Smuts returned to South Africa after the signing of the Versailles Treaty in 1919 and soon afterwards became prime minister. Smuts lost power in 1924 but later returned to office as deputy prime minister (1933-39) and prime minister (1939-48).

Smuts worked closely with Winston Churchill during the Second World War and was the only man to sign the peace treaties at the end of both wars. Smuts was also a leading figure in the drafting of the United Nations Covenant. Jan Christian Smuts died in 1950.

https://www.telfed.org.il/jan-christian-smuts-and-the-jews/

“Similarly South African Jan Smuts, a member of the British War Cabinet who was actively involved in the discussions behind the Balfour Declaration and the Versailles Treaty, recalled the views of the British Cabinet in deciding to favor a Jewish homeland in Palestine. It was naturally assumed that large-scale immigration of Jews into their historic homeland could not and would not be looked upon as a hostile gesture to the highly favored Arab people—-[who ] largely as a result of British action, came out better of the Great War than any other people.” [A Place Among the Nations by Benjamin Netanyahu – P46 published May, 1993.]

Chaim Weizmann was quoted as saying that without Smuts there would have been no Balfour Declaration.

Smuts enjoyed close friendships with many in the South African Jewish Community. In June 1917 he met Chaim Weizmann ,commencing which a lifelong friendship of 33 years. They enjoyed each other’s company, were compatible intellectually and together they shared a vision of a home for the Jews, He also shared this strong conviction with both Lloyd George the British Prime Minister and his Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour. Both Weizmann and Smuts shared the belief that because Palestine was the Biblical home of the Jews, it was historically justified and natural that this was the place which should be chosen.

Jan Smuts was elected Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa from 1919-1924 and then subsequently from 1939-1948. He personally fundraised for many Zionist organizations during his Premiership. His government granted de facto recognition of Israel on 24 May, 1948, a few days prior to his party being voted out of power.

>>23024860

Jan Smuts’s significant influence; signing WW1 & WW2 peace treaties, drafted United Nations Covenant, signing to establish both the League of Nations and UN, Balfour Declaration, etc. - Part 2

https://www.telfed.org.il/jan-christian-smuts-and-the-jews/

David Fromkin’s, “A Peace to End All Peace” on the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East, was described by Fouad Ajami as ambitious and splendid—-An epic tale of ruin and disillusion—of great men, their large deeds and even large follies. From this book, we learn the following:

English Prime Minister, Lloyd George invoked an Imperial War Conference also called the Imperial War Cabinet to consult on issues of war and peace, to meet in London around March 16/17, 1917. “Nobody was more suspicious of the government’s intentions than the delegate from South Africa , Jan Christian Smuts, a lawyer-turned-general, who had fought against the British in the Boer War; he had no desire to be ruled from London and who upon arrival received an invitation to dine at Brook’s with Lord Milner, his former adversary.

The meeting was a victory for Smuts recognized as a superb administrator who had gained acceptance to the basis of the reorganization would be the independence of South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Having been a successful general in the Boer War days and East Africa and a representative in of the Dominions , he could help Lloyd George in confronting the British generals.

Lloyd George prevailed upon Smuts to stay on in London and serve in the War Cabinet “on loan” from his own country’s “Cabinet”. He was the only Cabinet Minister in modern British history to have no connection with either House of Parliament; and spent the rest of the war away from home living in a hotel room at the Savoy. “General Smuts had expressed very decided views as to the strategical importance of Palestine to the British Empire”. The capture of German East Africa by Botha and Smuts had already created a continuous stretch of British-controlled territories between , on the one hand, Cape Town, the Atlantic Ocean port at the southern tip of Africa, and on the other, Suez, which bridged the Mediterranean and the Red Sea at the continent’s northeastern tip. As of 1917, Palestine was the key missing link that could join together the parts of the British Empire so that they would form a continuous chain from the Atlantic to the middle of the Pacific.

The Jerusalem Report published, “Smuts and Weizmann -My great-grandfather’s love of Israel and South African Jews” by Philip Weyers on 13/12/2017. What follows are 1st hand extracts from this remarkable piece of history. In the early 1920,South Africa heard of a tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, affecting in particular the Jews… One of the tragic results of these pogroms were thousands of orphans, whose numbers were estimated at 400,000. Before any organized relief could be effected, a Russian born resident of Cape Town, Isaac Ochberg took matters under his wing and approached General Jan Smuts, the Prime Minister and Patrick Duncan, the Minister of the Interior. Smuts reacted with alacrity, granting permission for an unrestricted number of orphans, as many as could be saved.

In January, 1921, Ochberg persuaded the Smuts government to contribute on a pound for pound towards the rescue and repatriation effort, resulting in 250 rather than the previously calculated 200 orphans being rescued and brought to South Africa. Many of these orphans returned in later life to Europe, but many also remained in their adopted country and contributed inestimably to the South African economy adding considerably to its heritage.

Professor Richard P. Stevens describes the Smuts-Weizmann relationship as follows: “Perhaps a few personal friendships have so influenced the course of political events during the 20th century as the relationship between General Jan Christian Smuts, South Africa’s celebrated Prime minister and Chaim Weizmann, the charismatic Zionist leader and Israel’s 1st President. But the importance and insignificance of this little publicized relationship transcends the personal elements involved or its contribution to Zionist success rather, it helps throw into perspective the contradictions of Western liberalism and the psychological climate which rationalized the dominant position of a white minority in South Africa on the one hand and of a new European settlement in Palestine on the other.”

>>23024860

>>23024871

Jan Smuts’s significant influence; signing WW1 & WW2 peace treaties, drafted United Nations Covenant, signing to establish both the League of Nations and UN, Balfour Declaration, etc. - Part 3

https://www.telfed.org.il/jan-christian-smuts-and-the-jews/

Bailey reminds us that following the end of hostilities in 1918, which initiated the conclusion of WW1, a peace conference was held at Versailles in France on January 1919, between the victorious Allied Forces and the defeated Central Powers, which had been led by Germany. A Peace Treaty ensued including the Balfour Declaration granting a homeland to the Jewish people as one of its many clauses, notably at the insistence of Jan Smuts.

Subsequently, Smuts attended the San Remo Conference during April, 1920 for the ratification of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles in order to establish the League of Nations. Smuts, as the as its author ensured the inclusion of the Belfour Declaration. What followed was the issuing of the British Mandate over Palestine , and should have resulted in a self-governing Jewish state in the whole territory between the Jordan River and the sea.

Jan Smuts was the author of the Preamble to the Constitution of the United Nations and the only politician to serve in the British War Cabinet in both the 1st and 2nd World Wars. Further, he was the only politician to sign the peace treaties ending global conflict after both world wars and was the only signatory to the establishment of both the League of Nations and the United Nations – a truly amazing record. One also recalls Smuts opposition to all the negative British White Papers.

>>23024871

>Jan Christian Smuts, a lawyer-turned-general, who had fought against the British in the Boer War; he had no desire to be ruled from London and who upon arrival received an invitation to dine at Brook’s with Lord Milner, his former adversary.

>The meeting was a victory for Smuts recognized as a superb administrator who had gained acceptance to the basis of the reorganization would be the independence of South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

“White-washing the Boer War”

https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/uncategorized/white-washing-the-boer-war/

April 7, 2018

In 1901, Lord Alfred Milner was “lamenting” the “fact that the death rate among young children in the [Boer War concentration] camps was still not dropping. ‘The theory that, all the weakly children being dead, the rate would fall off is not so far borne out by the facts,’ Milner wrote. ‘The strong ones must be dying now and they will all be dead by the spring of 1903.'” On October 14, 1901 the cornerstone for the Boer War monument was laid at Province House.

[Jean] Laroche goes on to interview Joe Ballard, president of the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, who says something ridiculous:

“We often forget about the South African campaign and it gets lost with more recent wars, but it was significant and I think it deserves greater honour than having cars parked around it,” said Ballard.

Please. The Boer War exemplified everything horrible about humanity, about imperialism, about the British Empire, about Canada, about Halifax, and about the boys and men who fought it. It was shameless slaughter conducted by vile people for despicable reasons.

I’ve written before about the use of concentration camps during the South African War (formerly known as the Boer War). This site [http://www.sahistory.org.za/topic/women-children-white-concentration-camps-during-anglo-boer-war-1900-1902] has an extensive timeline of the British atrocities in the camps, which led to the deaths of 10 per cent of the Afrikaner population (22,000 of them children) from disease and starvation. Some 115, 000 were imprisoned in these camps. The British did not keep numbers on how many Black South African workers interned in the camps also died, but estimates suggest around 20,000 out of the approximately 100,000 Blacks in the camps were worked to death.

Yves Engler describes the role of Canadian troops in the war, and the mythologizing of Canada’s military prowess in this article for Rabble [http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/yves-engler/2015/06/conservative-warrior-nation-mythology-glorifies-boer-war-against-]:

In Another Kind of Justice: Canadian Military Law from Confederation to Somalia, Chris Madsen points out that, “Canadian troops became intimately involved in the nastier aspects of the South African war.” Whole columns of troops participated in search, expel and burn missions. Looting was common. One Canadian soldier wrote home, “as fast as we come up the country…we loot the farms.” Another wrote, “I tell you there is some fun in it. We ride up to a house and commandeer anything you set your eyes on. We are living pretty well now.” There are also numerous documented instances of Canadian troops raping and killing innocent civilians.

Yves Engler, author of several books including Canada in Africa, observed to me in a Facebook message about the monument:

As with the scramble for the continent, which was justified in large part by saying we want to stop slavery, the Boer War was justified by they are treating Blacks poorly. And then they of course are brutal to Africans during the war and implement racial apartheid after. While they kept records on the Boer of who died in the concentration camps, they completely ignored the Africans. I think I discuss it in Canada in Africa book, there is quite impressive racial solidarity with the Boer within only a few years after the brutal conflict. The Boer go from the devil to the British supporting [Boer] self governance.

>>23024871

>The meeting was a victory for Smuts recognized as a superb administrator who had gained acceptance to the basis of the reorganization would be the independence of South Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

>>23024883

> there is quite impressive racial solidarity with the Boer within only a few years after the brutal conflict. The Boer go from the devil to the British supporting [Boer] self governance.

Australia, Canada and New Zealand fought in the Boer War

https://academic.oup.com/ehr/article-abstract/CXXII/495/215/394451?login=false

Extract

THE war fought in South Africa between 1899 and 1902 was the most extensive and costly of all the wars fought by Britain between 1815 and 1914 but it does not only belong to British and South African history. Some 30,000 Australian, Canadian and New Zealand forces took part in a British imperial war which also has a place in their national histories. Carman Miller has written the definitive account of the Canadian case, Painting the Map Red: Canada and the South African War, 1899-1902 (second edition, 1998) (rev. ante, cxi (1996), 240–41). Now Craig Wilcox has produced a similarly exhaustive treatment for Australia, in a handsome volume of more than 500 pages, complete with voluminous footnotes, extensive photographs, maps, tables, appendices and stiff covers. The centenary of that war has also been marked by the publication of a volume of thirteen essays which were written for a symposium on New Zealand's role in that war. In terms of their scholarly research, fresh analysis and conclusions, these essays mark a real advance on the ‘official’ history published in 1949.

Canada #76

Magatte Wade, Why African leaders allow climate activists to keep their countries in poverty

May 12, 2025

Magatte Wade Exposes How Environmentalism Keeps Africa Poor—with the Consent of Its Leaders

Senegalese entrepreneur and free-market advocate Magatte Wade is once again sounding the alarm on one of the greatest hypocrisies of the global elite: the use of environmentalism as a tool of control and systematic impoverishment in Africa. In a recent interview, Wade clearly denounced how environmental policies imposed by the West are not only stalling development across the African continent but actively ensuring that millions remain dependent under the false pretense of “climate aid.”

According to Wade, the narrative has changed but the power players remain the same. In the past, poverty was the excuse for interference. The West played savior, bringing “humanitarian aid” while setting strict economic conditions. But when it became obvious that free markets—not handouts—were the real solution to poverty, globalist institutions needed a new excuse. Enter climate change.

“When it became clear that free markets were the solution to poverty, the next thing they came up with was the environment,” Wade states. And she's right. Today, while the developed world burns fossil fuels to power industries and maintain high living standards, Africa is told to avoid those same energy sources in the name of a “green transition” that conveniently benefits Western nations and their corporate allies.

Wade highlights the hypocrisy of climate activists dictating restrictive energy policies from comfortable offices in Paris, London, and New York—policies that spur development in countries that haven't even had the chance to grow. “Africa remains poor because it lacks access to energy,” she explains. No energy means no industry. And no industry means no independence.

Most troubling, according to Wade, is that this system is enabled by African leaders themselves. "Why do the leaders of Senegal or Africa allow this to happen? For the same reason they allowed foreign aid to be the only relationship we had with the West," she says. It's a silent deal: African governments accept these imposed conditions and receive money, political favors, and international legitimacy—without ever being accountable to their people.

The latest form of this control is called “climate aid.” A perverse twist on cooperation, climate aid tells African nations: "Don't develop your own resources. Don't use fossil fuels. And we'll give you money." But that money doesn't create jobs or industry. It only finances bureaucracies and deepens dependency.

Magatte Wade is delivering a message that many in power would prefer to silence: radical environmentalism, now treated like a secular religion, is sacrificing Africa's future to satisfy the guilt-ridden obsessions of privileged elites. If Africa wants to rise, it must break free from this trap. That starts with courageous leadership willing to reject environmental blackmail.

https://gatewayhispanic.com/video/magatte-wade-why-african-leaders-allow-climate-activists-to-keep-their-countries-in-poverty/

>>22978036

>“Our struggle should be channeled to mineral energy complex. Even during Apartheid years… no government has led the country. The control of the country lies with the mineral energy complex

>>23024791

>When Parliament is in session (Harry has succeeded to his father’s old seat*)… *In the party of the late great General Smuts

>>23024860

>>23024871

>>23024876

>Jan Smuts

>>22979885

>>23010307

>>23024791

>Soviet Union

“De Beers Diamond Company & Black Labour (In "Diamond Road" documentary)”

https://youtu.be/XETdnQFT9VM

0:49 – Nicky Oppenheimer: “This indeed is a splendid occasion and it’s fantastic for De Beers to have played a role in this process in getting us where we are today. Huge things are being done here and it’s particularly important to appreciate what diamonds have done for South Africa.”

“Diamond trader Philip Oppenheimer”; “De Beers Mining Co. gain control of the world diamond market by persuading the Soviet Union to let him market its gems”

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1995/10/21/diamond-trader-philip-oppenheimer/

Published Oct. 21, 1995|Updated Oct. 4, 2005

Sir Philip Oppenheimer, who helped De Beers Mining Co. gain control of the world diamond market by persuading the Soviet Union to let him market its gems, has died. He was 83.

Sir Philip, a member of the family that controls De Beers, died in London on Oct. 8, family members said. They did not give a cause of death or details of the funeral.

A former chairman of the company's diamond-marketing cartel, he was instrumental in persuading nations that entered the diamond trade after World War II _ African and Soviet producers and Israeli and Indian cutters and polishers _ to work with De Beers to keep the market stable.

His biggest coup came in 1959, when he persuaded the Soviets to let De Beers market their diamonds. The Soviets soon became major players in the world diamond industry.

In 1970, as expanding world diamond production flowed through London, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

He entered De Beers in 1933, working as a diamond sorter and trainee salesman.

After the Great Depression, companies were stuck with large stocks of diamonds and many mines closed. But De Beers set up a producers' cooperative, the Central Selling Organization, that aimed to restore stability to the industry.

He took over management of the cooperative after the war and was named a De Beers director in 1956.

https://archive.nytimes.com/query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage-990CEFDE123CF933A15753C1A963958260.html

In addition to his role at De Beers, Sir Philip was well known in Britain for his involvement in horse racing. In addition to owning a stable of winning horses, he pushed De Beers into sponsoring the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Ascot, one of the nation's most prestigious races, each July.

“Ramaphosa to meet Trump, says 49 Afrikaners headed to US are not ‘refugees’” 1 of 2

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/ramaphosa-meet-trump-49-white-south-africans-refugees-us/

12 May 2025 03:34 pm

Ramaphosa said he does not regard the group of Afrikaners that left South Africa to be refugees.

Preparations for President Cyril Ramaphosa to travel to the United States (US) on a working visit are at an advanced stage, said Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola.

Lamola briefed the media on Monday about preparations for the G20 summit and other related matters.

Ramaphosa’s meeting with US President Donald Trump will take place amid rising tensions between the Trump administration and South Africa over alleged human rights violations against Afrikaner farmers.

“The presidency will soon announce the dates and the engagement will happen. I can only say that this is at an advanced stage,” he said.

This comes after the US government flew some Afrikaner farmers and their families to Washington on Sunday using a chartered flight.

The group will become refugees in the US and is the first to leave South Africa following Trump’s executive order giving them refugee status.

‘White people not being persecuted in South Africa’

Lamola denied that white Afrikaner farmers were being persecuted.

He said diplomatic engagements with Washington will continue to correct the false narrative that has been created in the US.

“In terms of the international definition, they do not qualify for that status (refugee).

“There is no persecution of white Afrikaner people in South Africa; this has been proven by a wide number of statistics in our country, including police reports.

“We are glad that a number of organisations, even from Afrikaner structures, have denounced this so-called persecution and they have stated that where there are challenges, there are platforms to resolve them within the South African context, which makes this a domestic issue,” he said.

Trump’s attendance at G20 Leaders’ Summit

The tensions between Pretoria and Washington have left uncertainty about the US’s full participation in the G20 summit and its various activities.

Lamola said there has been some participation by the US, but could not confirm if Trump would attend the Leaders’ Summit of the G20.

“The G20 is for all members of the G20 and all the leaders of the G20 are invited to attend. Obviously, the US president as a member state of the G20 will be invited, but it is up to the US whether they attend or not.”

>>23028370

“Ramaphosa to meet Trump, says 49 Afrikaners headed to US are not ‘refugees’” 2 of 2

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/politics/ramaphosa-meet-trump-49-white-south-africans-refugees-us/

12 May 2025 03:34 pm

Special envoy to the US

Meanwhile, Lamola said former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas would lay the groundwork for resetting the relationship between the two countries.

Jonas has been appointed as a special envoy to the US.

“The appointment of the special envoy does not negate the need to appoint an ambassador, but we have to do so having assessed the environment with regard to bi-lateral trade relations and trade relations between South Africa and the US.

“The president will appoint an ambassador, but we want the special envoy to first lay the ground to build a terrain that will help us navigate these uncharted waters,” he said.

Meanwhile, a senior official at the Department of Home Affairs told reporters that the 49 white South Africans who have now taken up refugee status in the US would hold a press conference with US officials.

He said they would use this press conference to explain how they are being persecuted in South Africa.

These individuals had declined to give media interviews at the OR Tambo International Airport before their departure.

‘We didn’t chase the coloniser’

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa told a panel at the Africa CEO Forum in Ivory Coast that he does not regard the group of Afrikaners who left South Africa to be refugees.

Ramaphosa said he even spoke to Trump on the phone and told him that he is being misled.

“I said ‘president, what you have been told by those people who are opposed to transformation back home in South Africa is not true.

“Iadded that we were well taught by Nelson Mandela and other iconic leaders like Oliver Tambo on how to build a united nation out of the diverse groupings that we have in South Africa.

“We are the only country in the continent where the colonisers came to stay and we have never driven them out of the country, so they are staying and they are making great progress,” he said.

More issues behind US tension with SA

Africa affairs analyst Koffi Kouakou told The Citizen that tensions between South Africa and the US were deeper than they appear.

“Trump’s backers and those who are funding him are mainly Israelis and Zionists who are now angry that one country in the whole world, South Africa, that is not that powerful but has used a moral power it has left in international relations to express anger at the genocide that has been taking place in Gaza and then filed a genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel.

“They want South Africa punished. There is no other reason people can jump up and down and say anything else, but that is the core of that. They are adding things like the Expropriation Act and white South Africans being killed in droves,” he said.

>>23028373

>Koffi Kouakou: "South Africa… has used a moral power."

>>22978036

>>22978041

>>22978052

>>22978061

>Lonmin

>>22978070

>The Stilfontein massacre, reminiscent of the Marikana massacre,

“Koffi M. KOUAKOU (South Africa – Scenario Planning, Foresight, Strategic Communications, Media Sociology and Psyhcology)”

https://www.ires.ma/images/PIP-2017/pdfs/Constitution-du-Panel/Koffi-M.-KOUAKOU.pdf

Mr Kouakou is the managing director of Stratnum Futures, a scenario planning, futures and strategy consulting and advisory firm. He is also a director with the South Africa Node of the Millennium Programme, a network of affiliate of the Millennium Programme in Washington, D.C. that deals with futures and foresight-based activities and produces the authoritative annual publication “State of the Future”.

He specialises in scenario planning, foresight studies, strategic information communications technologies for development and telecommunications adapted to sustainable environmental management issues in Africa.

He is an alumnus of the Oxford University Said Business School Scenarios Programme and the Global Business Network Developing and Using Scenarios (DUS).

Mr. Kouakou was a lecturer at the Tshwane University Technology Business School in Pretoria where he lectures on change management, strategy translation and innovation. He was a former senior lecturer and now a course convenor at the Wits School of Governance at Wits University where he teaches strategic communications, media sociology and scenario planning and the discipline of anticipation. He lectures at the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism (IAJ) in Johannesburg.

He is the former director of the Unilever Mandela Rhodes Academy for Communications and Marketing Academy (UMRA), a funded initiative by the Unilever Foundation and the Nelson Mandela Rhodes Foundation. He is also a business strategist, futurist, social commentator, storyteller and author.

He has facilitated the Open Society Initiative in Southern Africa (OSISA) scenario planning project for Swaziland and Zimbabwe, Anglo Platinum, Rio Tinto Africa Strategy workshops on communications strategy, Communities and Engagement Development with a particular focus on the changing Mining environment and strategies for a new Mining order in Africa.

He also lectured on Communicating Public Policy, the OSISAsponsored leadership course for four years since 2011. He has also facilitated a Finland-sponsored workshop on mainstreaming Human Rights Policies in to Finnish Programmes in Southern Africa in 2015.

He is a senior associate member and media contact of Mining Dialogues 360 Degrees, a non-partisan mining dialogue facilitation platform set up in July 2012 to bring together the mining industry stakeholders in South Africa.

He has worked on the Lonmin Economic Footprint Research, a report on the economic footprint network of Lonmin, the mining and resources company in South Africa.

He was the co-ordinator of the Program on Environment Information Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa with the World Bank in Washington, DC for seven years. He also served as the co-Director of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) Virtual Reality Solutions in Pretoria, South Africa.

Works

For the past decade, his works has combined scenario planning, foresight, strategic communications, media sociology and psyhcology mainly in Africa.

He has co-authored a book titled AfricaDotEdu: IT Opportunities and Higher Education in Africa, 2003.

Contributor to the Foresight For Development (FFD) www.sampnode.org.za/

Panelist to the Panel International des Prospectivistes (PIP) of the Royal Institute for Strategic Studies (2016 -27).

He is a regular commentator and an analyst on African Affairs and the future of the continent with a particular on the AfricaChina nexus. He is fluent in English and French and does work in Francophone Africa.

He has been a regular Africa regional and media contributor to international, local media and business magazines such as the Al Jazeera, ANN7, BBC (TV and Radio in English and French), CCTV (China TV), France24 (English and French), Deutsche Welle, Radio France, SABC, SAfm, Power FM (Local radio in Southern Africa) Sputnik Radio, eNCA, VOA, The People’s Daily and the China Economic daily in China, Brainstorm, The Media, CIO.COM, Intelligence and Brainstorm in South Africa

“Ramaphosa's US Visit: Steenhuisen joins delegation 'to save AGOA'”

https://iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/2025-05-18-ramaphosas-us-visit-steenhuisen-joins-delegation-to-save-agoa/

Sunday, May 18, 2025

President Cyril Ramaphosa's upcoming visit to the US is expected to be a high-stakes encounter with President Donald Trump, with Agriculture Minister John Steenhuisen joining the delegation to help negotiate for the continuation of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA).

The meeting aims to reset strained relations between the two countries and secure a favorable trade deal.

Ramaphosa and Steenhuisen, who is also the DA leader, will be joined by Minister of Trade and Industry Parks Tau, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni and International Relations and Minister Ronald Lamola.

Steenhuisen's spokesperson Charity McCord on Sunday confirmed that Ramaphosa and his delegation were already en-route and would be landing in the US on Sunday evening.

https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/daily-news-south-africa/20250516/281513642054720

16 May 2025

Mcebisi Jonas, who was recently appointed special envoy to the US, was also said to be part of the delegation. Jonas is expected to play a key role in laying the groundwork for Ramaphosa’s meeting with Trump.

Political analyst Professor Bheki Mngomezulu expressed concerns about Ramaphosa’s meeting with Trump, citing the US president’s tendency to make provocative statements.

“If our President doesn’t contain himself, we might see a worse situation than we saw when President Trump hosted President Zelenskyy,” he said.

https://eurweb.com/2025/mcebisi-jonas-called-trump-a-racist-homophobic-right-winger/

April 17, 2025

Mcebisi Jonas served as South Africa’s deputy finance minister before his recent appointment. President Cyril Ramaphosa selected him to represent South Africa in the U.S. However, Jonas is not new to controversy. In a speech from 2020, he labeled Trump as a “racist, homophobic and narcissistic right-winger.” His comments were made in the context of Trump’s presidency and have circulated widely since then, NewsOne is reporting.

In his speech, Jonas said, “Right now, the U.S. is undergoing a watershed moment, with Biden the certain winner in the presidential race against the racist, homophobic Donald Trump.” He highlighted concerns about how the world let a “narcissistic right-winger” such as Trump gain power. His statements reflect serious concerns about Trump’s impact on democracy, both in the U.S. and globally.

https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/leaders/south-africas-ramaphosa-to-meet-trump-in-washington-next-week-amid-strained-ties/cjxw4jy?op=1

15 May 2025 02:21 PM

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is set to visit the United States next week for a working trip, where he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on May 21, according to a statement from Ramaphosa’s office released late Wednesday.

>>23050703

John Steenhuisen; “Brenthurst Foundation paid for DA leader’s trip into Ukraine” and signed the Gdansk Agreement

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2022-05-07-brenthurst-foundation-paid-for-da-leaders-trip-into-ukraine/

07 May 2022

DA leader John Steenhuisen has confirmed that his six-day “fact-finding mission” to Ukraine, which ended on Friday, 5 May was funded by the Brenthurst Foundation.

Brenthurst Foundation director Greg Mills said the foundation funded Steenhuisen’s trip with its photographer Richard Harper.

The foundation has funded a number of trips for politicians from across the spectrum, such as the monitoring mission during the Somaliland elections last year. The foundation covered that trip as well which Steenhuisen declared in the register of members’ interest.

Throughout his trip, Steenhuisen emphasised the economic repercussions the war in Ukraine has on Africa, especially food prices.

“This is a war for freedom,” he said in a video message on his timeline. “Ukraine has now become the new frontier of freedom in the world, in the battle against tyranny and imperialism. It is important that we understand, particularly in Africa, what the impact of this war on our continent and especially in South Africa will be.”

The Brenthurst Foundation was established in 2004 by the Oppenheimer family to build on the work of the Brenthurst Initiative, which was a programme that “instigated debate around policy strategies in South Africa to accelerate economic expansion”.

https://www.thebrenthurstfoundation.org/news/the-gdansk-declaration-solidarity-for-democracy/

From 21-23 June 2023, the European Solidarity Centre and The Brenthurst Foundation staged a conference on 'Rolling Back Authoritarianism' in Gdańsk, Poland, the epicentre of political change in Poland and in Europe in the late 1980s. The event was attended by more than 50 leaders from Africa, Latin America, Poland and the Baltic States. At the end of the event, the Gdańsk Declaration was adopted unanimously. It lays out the commitment of all delegates to ending authoritarianism and introducing democracy, accountability and transparency. This is the full text of this historic declaration. The signatories are listed at the end of the document

We recognise that freedom is not free. Democrats everywhere need to be united, and work together to reduce the costs and risks of this formidable if achievable task. We must provide moral support to all comrades in struggle, from Ukraine to Uganda.

>>23050770

>support to all comrades in struggle

I'm guessing the Poles at this conference were too young to remember when Poland was a communist state

>>23050703

>>23050770

>DA

“BEE Under Fire: Why South Africa’s Social Engineering Project Faces Unprecedented Attacks”

https://www.joburgetc.com/business/bee-south-africa-controversy-future/

March 10, 2025

South Africa’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policy, a cornerstone of post-apartheid economic transformation, is facing its most significant challenges yet. Designed to address racialized inequality, BEE has long been a controversial and polarizing policy. Now, for the first time in 30 years, political and international forces are mounting a concerted effort to overturn it, raising questions about its future.

The Controversy Surrounding BEE

BEE was introduced to redress the economic disparities created by apartheid by empowering black South Africans through ownership, management, and skills development. However, its implementation has been fraught with challenges and criticisms. Critics argue that BEE has often benefited a small elite, with figures like President Cyril Ramaphosa and his brother-in-law, Patrice Motsepe, frequently cited as examples. Meanwhile, the broader black population has seen limited gains.

The policy has also led to absurd outcomes, such as black shareholders being unable to sell their stakes to foreign investors without jeopardizing a company’s BEE compliance. In the mining sector, legal battles over the “once-empowered, always empowered” principle have highlighted the complexities and unintended consequences of BEE.

Political Shifts Threaten BEE’s Future

The ANC, BEE’s primary champion, is losing political ground rapidly. The party now relies on an uneasy coalition with the DA, which has long opposed BEE. In its 2024 manifesto, the DA proposed replacing BEE with the UN Development Goals. Andrew Whitfield, a DA deputy minister in the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition, now oversees BEE administration—a stark irony given his party’s stance.

The MK party, the third-largest political force, has also criticized BEE, arguing that its ownership element reinforces oligopoly power. With the EFF as the only major party still supporting BEE, the policy’s future looks increasingly uncertain.

International Pressure Adds to the Strain

International figures like Elon Musk and Donald Trump have added fuel to the fire. Musk has repeatedly attacked BEE on social media, claiming it is the reason his Starlink service cannot operate in South Africa. While his assertion that “Starlink is not allowed to operate in South Africa because I’m not black” is inaccurate, the requirement for 30% black ownership or alternative BEE compliance measures remains a barrier.

Trump, Musk’s benefactor, has also voiced opposition to race-based policies in South Africa, raising concerns that the U.S. could use its economic power to pressure the country. This international criticism has intensified the debate around BEE, giving opponents new ammunition.

What’s Next for BEE?

As the political landscape shifts and international pressure mounts, BEE’s future hangs in the balance. The policy may need to evolve or be replaced entirely, but there is little public discussion about what should come next. The debate is likely to intensify, with arguments increasingly framed around economic growth rather than equity.

For now, BEE remains a defining feature of South Africa’s economic policy. However, its critics are growing louder, and its supporters are dwindling. Whether it adapts, fades, or is replaced, the conversation around BEE is far from over.

>>23050703

>Ramaphosa's US Visit: Steenhuisen joins delegation 'to save AGOA'

>>23050770

>>23053976

Does/will AGOA benefit these investors?

“Focus On: Gauteng hosts first annual Investment Conference”

Apr 08 2025

https://youtu.be/u1fN4sgVtwU

”Gauteng Investment Conference secures target-shattering R312.5 billion in pledges”

https://gic.ggda.co.za/gauteng-investment-conference-secures-target-shattering-r312-5-billion-in-pledges/

The conference, officially launched at the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in February 2025, has surpassed its initial target of securing R300 billion in investment pledges, achieving an outstanding R312.5 billion.

“Deputy President Paul Mashatile addresses inaugural Gauteng Investment Conference, 3 Apr”

https://www.gov.za/news/media-advisories/conferences-summits-seminars-and-workshops/deputy-president-paul-mashatile-13

02 Apr 2025

Deputy President Shipokosa Paulus Mashatile will on Thursday, 03 April 2025, virtually deliver the inaugural Gauteng Investment Conference keynote address, under the theme: “Unlocking Gauteng’s Economic Potential – A National Priority to enhance Economic Growth".

The Gauteng Investment Conference will be held at the Marriott Hotel, Melrose Arch, in Johannesburg, Gauteng Province under the theme, “Investing in Gauteng: The Engine of Africa’s Growth”. The conference brings together government leaders, global investors, business executives, and industry experts to discuss strategies for positioning Gauteng as a key investment destination on the continent.

Convened by the Gauteng Provincial Government, the conference will explore high-impact investment opportunities in sectors such as:

• Green Energy and Sustainability;

• Infrastructure and Transport;

• Manufacturing and Industrialisation;

• ICT and Digital Economy; and

• Township and Inclusive Economic Development.

The Investment Conference forms a central part of President Cyril Ramaphosa ambitious target announced during the 2025 State of the Nation Address, to lift economic growth to above three percent.

In this regard, government is committed to the task of growing the economy and creating job opportunities, working together with all key stakeholders including the private sector.

Other leading participants from the public sector, will include the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Mr Parks Tau, Premier of the Gauteng Province, Mr Panyaza Lesufi, Members of the Gauteng Provincial Executive Council, Mayors, as well as senior government officials.

>>23053984

Maximum Group

https://agricrowdfunding.co.za/

Maximum Group has several diverse property and IT related companies and interests, which include:

Mega projects developments.

Renewable energies, services, and infrastructure.

Agricultural technology.

Real Estate Crowdfunding.

Agricultural crowdfunding platform.

IT companies.

Agricultural infrastructure development.

Industrial Infrastructure developments.

Maximum Group is developing a unique industrial, International Agri City and Fresh Produce Market to enable logistics, light industrial, food processing and production in Protea Glen, Soweto. A new Industrial and International Agri City – West Rand Mega Park –

Our Mission is to create value and drive economic transformation across the world.

You can read more about founder and CEO Slaven Gajovic or see more about us on www.maximumgroup.co.za

https://maximumgroup.co.za/mega-projects/

Dan Tloome Mega Project - https://dantloome.co.za/

Dan Tloome Mega City in West Rand, Gauteng, is a sustainable Smart City spanning 538,406 hectares. It features extensive community facilities, renewable energy, advanced infrastructure, and 22,000 residential units, promoting a green and smart urban environment.

West Rand Mega Park - https://westrandmegapark.co.za/

Western Sebokeng Mega Project - https://johandeo.co.za/

East Rand Mega Project - https://hartes.co.za/

Eastern Sebokeng Mega Project - https://unitaspark.org.za/

>>23053984

>>23053991

“About Slaven Gajović”

https://megaprojectsassociation.africa/about-us/

–Born 1972 in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia (and ex Yugoslavia), where in 1991 Slaven finished schooling and obtained a diploma in IT (qualified computer programmer) with distinction.

Thereafter, Slaven started at a paging company where, within few months, was promoted to Pager Programming Department Manager.–

Due to the political situation in Serbia, he decided to emigrate and chose South Africa as the destination.

Slaven arrived in SA in 1992, and started pursuing a computer career. In 1993 he found an interest in real estate investments and the same year founded his first Real Estate company.

Since then Slaven has tweaked interests to commercial and Mega Project Property Developments as a real estate investor, developer and property entrepreneur.

Today, Slaven is heading groups of companies – Maximum Group Holdings (www.maximumgroup.co.za) and Ariobex Holdings Group (www.ariobex.co.za).

His motto with both groups is “Profit while doing good” and the groups have interests in the development of large scale smart city human settlements (100 000 residents plus) and regional industrial and agricultural infrastructures.

His groups of companies are also involved in utility-scale renewable energies, water treatment, smart metering, education and so on. Maximum Group has an IT arm with interests in FinTech, AgriTech, cybersecurity, blockchain, NFTs and smart payments platforms.

Slaven is a founder of the Mega Projects Developers Association of South Africa and is well known in the Property Development and Real Estate investment circles. Hence, he enjoys a large network of professionals and megaproject development colleagues with whom he collaborates on a number of projects and aspects thereof.

Slaven’s own “Conscious Property Alchemy” business model and unique RDP development model is known as “RDP 2.0 – connected societies” is at the forefront of the industry.

His ability to merge the “brick” and the “cloud” brings new efficiencies in planning property developments merged with cloud and IT technology in order to enable 4th industrial revolution, Society 5.0 and RDP 2.0.

In order to stay on top in the property industry – he is continuously learning and striving to improve himself, companies, offerings, as well as his personal life and businesses.

Likewise, Slaven is involved with a number of community projects, with the aim of giving back to the community, thereby contributing to better life and standard for everyone in the area.

His hobbies include playing lots of sports (basketball, gym, yoga and instructing of Krav Maga), reading and exploring new technologies, listening to blues and jazz as well as travelling.

https://www.zoominfo.com/p/Slaven-Gajovic/2024089950

Previously, Slaven was a Director, Business Development at Farm2Forkza and also held positions at West Rand Mega Park, Real Estate Crowdfunding, Dan Tloome Mega Project, ARIOBEX developments, Maximum One Property Investments, Maximum Group, Maximum Dynamics IT, Maximum One Property Group.

>>23053991

>Dan Tloome Mega City in West Rand, Gauteng, is a sustainable Smart City spanning 538,406 hectares. It features extensive community facilities, renewable energy, advanced infrastructure, and 22,000 residential units, promoting a green and smart urban environment.

>>23053984

>>23053992

“Dan Tloome housing project in the spotlight yet again”

https://www.citizen.co.za/randfontein-herald/news-headlines/local-news/2024/01/18/dan-tloome-housing-project-in-the-spotlight-yet-again/

January 18, 2024

After visiting the Dan Tloome mega housing project, ActionSA RandWest revealed many shortcomings yet again.

Diale said they had uncovered distressing shortcomings where one of the houses (that was not built too long ago) had a section of its wall caving in. The house’s ceilings were also crumbling. To Diale’s shock, she confirmed that the house was already occupied despite it being in such bad condition.

ActionSA RandWest City confirmed they had been receiving multiple complaints from residents residing in Dan Tloome regarding issues about the state of the building, along with problems regarding surrounding areas.

Diale revealed some of the issues saying, “Within the housing project, there was raw sewage allocated in multiple places. Many buildings were also severely damaged or identified as defective. Then there are allegations of individuals illegally renting out finished units before allocating to the rightful person and foreigners given trading spaces by contractors without consultation and illegal evictions and no title deeds.”

On January 17, ActionSA RandWest City arranged a thorough meeting with the community to discuss solutions for the housing project.

“We are calling on the municipality and the Gauteng provincial government to urgently assess the work done by the contractor to ensure that all affected families of unsafe buildings are accommodated with safe living space. We further call for an immediate investigation into all allegations levied.

“ActionSA RandWest is still obtaining statements and evidence daily and will not stop until the mega projects in this municipality are rectified, are rid of corrupt activities and residents benefit from this project,” added ActionSA Rand West City media manager Dauw Steyn.

In September 2023, the Randfontein Herald also reported that the DA conducted an oversight visit at the mega housing project to inspect the area and the state that it is currently in. Meanwhile, DA Shadow MEC for Human Settlements Mervyn Cirota said that it was evident that residents continue to suffer due to terrible infrastructure and the lack of basic service delivery.

In addition, the Herald has this past week alone received two complaints from residents who opted to remain anonymous in fear of being victimised.

“We are not safe, I foresee disaster,” one of them stated.

https://awethu.amandla.mobi/petitions/randfontein-dan-tloome-community-calling-out-for-help

To: Gauteng MEC for Human Settlement, Tasneem Motara, Randwest Municipality, Slaven Gajovic, Ariobex Holdings

Fix the issues at the Dan Tloome Randfontein Housing Project

>>23053992

>Farm2Forkza

“Farm2ForkZA’s Post”

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/farm2forkza_patented-agri-digital-transformation-at-west-activity-7238668364049506304-2H9L

Agri-Tech Revolution at West Rand Mega Park: Empowering Small-Scale Farmers 🌱

WRMP - is a partnership Maximum Group and Maximum Group Digital and awarded a patent covering brick-and-motar, as well as, digital innovation across the value chain.

Mitesh C., CEO of Maximum Group Digital: "At Maximum Group Digital, we're passionate about leveraging technology to create sustainable solutions for small-scale farmers. Our digital platforms provide the tools they need to thrive, from accessing markets and financial services to improving their agricultural practices. We're proud to be part of the West Rand Mega Park initiative and see the positive impact it's having on the community."

Slaven Gajovic , CEO of Maximum Group: "The West Rand Mega Park is a testament to our commitment to driving economic growth and social development. By integrating our #digital #platforms, we're creating a thriving ecosystem that empowers small-scale farmers, promotes financial inclusion, and enhances #education. This is a model for sustainable urban development that can be replicated across #Africa."

Key highlights of the project:

- Empowering small-scale farmers: Providing access to markets, #technology, finance, and education.

- Leveraging digital platforms: Integrating MaxiWallet, Kasinomics, Student Information System, Maxi #Cyber, #Cloud & #AI for maximum impact.

- Achieving real results: Enhanced financial #inclusion, #economic empowerment, educational advancement, and #sustainable infrastructure.

Join us in revolutionizing agriculture in Africa! #AgriTech #WestRandMegaPark #DigitalTransformation #SmallScaleFarmers #SustainableDevelopment #SouthAfrica #SDG

>>23054004

>>23053992

>Farm2ForkZA

Considering the name, is it the same concept?

“The Farm to Fork Strategy: reasons for failure and how to move forward”

https://www.iddri.org/sites/default/files/PDF/Publications/Catalogue%20Iddri/Autre%20Publication/NOTE%20Veblen%20paper%20agri%20EN.pdf

With its “Farm to Fork” strategy, the European Commission proposed an ambitious project to transform Europe’s food system. However, the strategy has faced strong opposition and political blockages, indicating that a change of approach is needed if we are to move towards a more sustainable agricultural model.

Will European agriculture be able to feed 530 million Europeans with a healthy diet in 2050, while helping to achieve climate neutrality and contributing to global food equilibria? This question is at the heart of the Green Deal’s agriculture and food policy, the so-called “Farm to Fork” (F2F) strategy (EC, 2020).1 Nearly four years after its publication, it would be an understatement to say that this strategy has sparked debate and controversy within the farming world and beyond. Adopting a systemic view of the food system and setting ambitious environmental targets, F2F was seen either as a cornerstone of a new approach to reform the European food system and keep it within planetary boundaries (e.g. Schebesta et al., 2020); or as a vehicle for an unacceptable decline in European agricultural production, creating risks not only for the EU but for food security worldwide (e.g. Beckman et al., 2020).

“Tee off: Johann Rupert, golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen join Ramaphosa in crucial Trump meeting”

https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/tee-off-johann-rupert-golfers-ernie-els-and-retief-goosen-join-ramaphosa-in-crucial-trump-meeting/ar-AA1FbLYd

2025/05/21

One of South Africa’s richest men, renowned businessman Johann Rupert and golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen are reportedly part of the high-level South African delegation led by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who are set to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington.

Ramaphosa will meet Trump in the Oval Office on Wednesday, as the Pretoria government seeks to reset the damaged relations with the US, a key trading partner and investor in South Africa.

According to media reports, Ramaphosa has included the golfers in his arsenal, seeking to appeal to Trump who loves the sport.

>>23063152

“JOHANN RUPERT - THE MAN WHO "CONTROLS" SOUTH AFRICA”

https://youtu.be/82vg8AtvJ10

May 15, 2025

“Johann Rupert 2008: DOCTOR OF COMMERCE (HONORIS CAUSA)”

https://www.mandela.ac.za/Leadership-and-Governance/Honorary-Doctorates/Johann-Rupert-2008

Johann Peter Rupert was born in Stellenbosch on 1 June 1950 as the eldest son of business tycoon Anton Rupert and his wife Huberte. He attended the University of Stellenbosch, studying economics and company law but did not complete his studies, choosing rather to pursue a career in business.

Johann Rupert served his business apprenticeship in New York, where he worked for Chase Manhattan for two years and for Lazard Freres for three years. In 1979, he returned to South Africa. Among his many achievements, one of the earliest and most remarkable is Rupert’s founding of the Rand Merchant Bank in 1979 at just 29 years of age. One of his most enduring legacies achieved in the same year, was starting the Small Business Development Corporation. This is a company that boasts having created a half a million jobs since its inception.

Subsequent to inheriting the family empire built by his father, Johann Rupert has significantly expanded and developed the original business to the extent that he is now the owner or executive chairperson or a major stakeholder in numerous national and multinational companies. He is the head of the Swiss-based luxury group, Richemont which boasts an impressive stable of brands including Cartier, Chloe and Dunhill. He is also chairperson of South African based companies Venfin and Remgro. He owns one of South Africa’s most prestigious golfing estates in Mpumalanga, as well as two wine estates in Franschhoek. In addition to these business enterprises, he has played a major role in the establishment of Vodacom, ETV and the Tracker Network (Pty) Ltd in South Africa. Rupert has also invested substantially in the British American Tobacco Company, Absa, FirstRand, Medi-Clinic, Dorbyl, Nampak, Gencor and Afrox Healthcare, amongst others. Collectively, these achievements and investments have made him instrumental in creating thousands of jobs and promoting general economic empowerment in South Africa.

Over the years, and as a result of his business acumen, his professionalism and his expertise, Johann Rupert has been involved in local and global community engagement in various capacities. This includes serving on numerous advisory boards including the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, as a council member of The South African Foundation, a trustee of The Institute of Directors in Southern Africa and of Business South Africa, and on the Daimler Chrysler International Advisory Board.

In addition, Johann Rupert is an active promoter of the educational and transformational aspects of South African community life. He co-founded the Sports Science Institute, together with Morné du Plessis and Dr Tim Noakes, and he helped create the Laureus Foundation which funds the development of sport for marginalised groups. Furthermore, he serves as chairperson of the South African PGA Tour and of the South African Golf Development Board. He has been a trustee of the Southern African Nature Foundation and “Die Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap and Kuns.”

Some of Rupert’s most noteworthy accolades include being elected “Businessman of the Year” by The Sunday Times in 1988 and 1996, and being voted “Business Leader of the Year” by Die Burger and the Cape Town Chamber of Commerce in 1990. In 1992 he was one of only two hundred “Global Leaders of Tomorrow” chosen by the World Economic Forum. In 2000 he was singled out as South Africa’s “Most Influential Business Leader” by CEOs of the top hundred listed companies.

In recognition of his substantial contribution to the economic health of South Africa and the philanthropic way in which he has used his wealth in promoting job opportunities and corporate professionalism, and in supporting the environment, the arts, sport, education and social upliftment, it is an honour for NMMU to confer the degree of Doctor of Commerce (Honoris Causa) on JOHANN PETER RUPERT.

>>23063158

>business tycoon Anton Rupert

>>23053976

>“once-empowered, always empowered” principle

>>23063152

“Peace Parks (trailer for series)”

https://youtu.be/zgY2ok8wwbU

0:16 – Nelson Mandela: “Anton Rupert and Prince Bernhard have sent me to various places and I put aside everything because it is important if various countries across boundaries work together that unites those countries and the boundaries become something unimportant.”

Anton Rupert

Rupert will be remembered for his immense contribution to the South African Business Development Corporation, a non-profit organisation, which helped to create half-a-million jobs in 1981. He was co-founder of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). His last big project was creating the Peace Parks Foundation, a non-profit foundation, founded in association with Mandela and the late Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, aiming to allow free movement of animals and people across country borders within the parks.

He was once credited with having 35 companies in six different continents, with a yearly profit of 10 – billion US dollars.

Anton Rupert died peacefully in his sleep on 18 January 2006 in his home in Stellenbosch. Tributes poured in from across the country. Former President Mandela called him his friend and described him as “a giant of a man …famous for his approach of helping others to help themselves rather than fostering dependency …”. President Mbeki said: “Dr Rupert played a pivotal role in the development of South Africa's industrial and commercial sectors. Not only did he distinguish himself in the Afrikaner community, but also played a significant role in supporting and initiating significant transformation of South Africa's business.”

He believed firmly in affirmative action and black economic empowerment and he will always be remembered for his ingenuity, generosity, modesty and firm belief that everything is possible if the idea is worthwhile and well thought-out.

>>23063204

Forgot to add the link; https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/anton-edward-rupert

>>23053976

>Critics argue that BEE has often benefited a small elite, with figures like President Cyril Ramaphosa

>“once-empowered, always empowered”

>>23063158

>>23063204

>>23063225

>business tycoon Anton Rupert

“BOOK REVIEW: Oppenheimer missed opportunities to bend the arc of our history” – Part 1

https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/life/books/2023-06-08-book-review-oppenheimer-missed-opportunities-to-bend-the-arc-of-our-history/

08 June 2023 - 05:01

My colleague Michael Cardo’s eloquently written and solidly researched tome — about 500 pages — Harry Oppenheimer, Diamonds, Gold and Dynasty, triggered a series of thoughts on how the entry of Ernest Oppenheimer — “with fifty pounds in his pocket” — to the diamond diggings of Kimberley shaped the economic and political history of this country.

Astute and driven, as he was, it was within a Rhodes-tinted world that denied local people and other sojourners any meaningful entry on the grounds of race. It was in this post-Anglo-Boer War world that Harry Frederick Oppenheimer (HFO) was born in 1908.

The Union of SA, formed in 1910, had established white supremacy over indigenous people, effectively fusing the Boer republic’s doctrine of “No equality between black or white in church or state” and the British principle of “equal rights for all civilised men”.

While Cardo’s book — no hagiography — evinces an understanding, balance and questioning of the gap, there is a discernible thread which suggests a behemoth that evolved and helped alter the pernicious aspects of economic and social apartheid. In doing so, it is inescapably cognisant of HFO’s rider to the London Stock Exchange: “without destroying the great achievements of a long period of white rule”.

It does however raise the question which Cardo alludes to but doesn’t interrogate deeply: whether, given the heft of the Oppenheimer empire, an opportunity was not missed which would have altered the course of history and perhaps delivered us in a place not quite as parlous as we find ourselves today.

Initiatives like the Urban Foundation, set up by HFO and Anton Rupert in 1977, began to inform and help initiate political, economic and social reform “for betterment in the hearts of people” while preserving “the great achievements of a long period of white rule” (HFO). Big business bought into this effort “to build bridges between pragmatic whites and moderate blacks” (Cardo).

[Cyril Ramaphosa having earned a law graduate degree on an Urban Foundation scholarship, sidelined leaders like Thabo Mbeki to head the National Empowerment Consortium. The Oppenheimer led Urban Foundation had sown the seeds of aspirations for a lucrative business career and lust for power. https://sa-news.com/how-cyril-ramaphosa-sold-his-soul-to-the-oppenheimers-for-900-million-how-much-will-he-sell-sa-for/. Posted on December 21, 2017]

>>23065085

>>22970970

>>>20971100 Open Society Institute Mourns Loss of Frederick Van Zyl Slabbert

“BOOK REVIEW: Oppenheimer missed opportunities to bend the arc of our history” – Part 2

https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/life/books/2023-06-08-book-review-oppenheimer-missed-opportunities-to-bend-the-arc-of-our-history/

08 June 2023 - 05:01

As Cardo points out, by 1978 HFO still justified support for a qualified franchise and only fell in line with the new constitutional policy of the Progressive Federal Party after it recognised and supported universal suffrage. This followed Frederik Van Zyl Slabbert, who became leader in 1978 and steered it towards supporting a universal franchise within a federal system.

Four weeks after Botha’s Durban speech, HFO’s successor Gavin Relly led a delegation to meet ANC leaders in Zambia. The demise of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin wall, which Cardo describes as “the determining event in FW De Klerk’s unfolding glasnost and perestroika,” provided the space to do this. Apartheid had become a drain on the economy and both the ANC and business understood that they needed each other. The rest, as they say, is history.

Cardo justifies, in his final balancing of the scales, the claim “that Oppenheimer moved his country forward from the murk of apartheid to the dawn of a nonracial democracy”. He cites HFO’s “individual and corporate philanthropy, his championship of black trade union rights, his role in the Urban Foundation and the reformist initiatives of the 1980s”.

The degeneration of BEE — an initiative championed by HFO, “into a patronage scheme, a system of elite enrichment for the politically well connected, and a vehicle for state capture” — Cardo avers was not foreseen by Oppenheimer, “who would have been aghast at the turn of events”.

The question remains: was BEE not different from the empowerment of Afrikaner capital in the mining industry by Anglo American? Afrikaner capital was not simply “gifted” an increased share of the mining economy. Afrikaner investors, through their financial contributions, played a role in the acquisition and ownership of assets within the mining sector. Of course, they too amassed their dispensable finances on the back of Apartheid.

It was, after all, Vladimir Lenin who argued in his famously eponymous pamphlet that “the economic struggle is inseparably linked to the political struggle”.

>>23065085

>>23065089

>It was, after all, Vladimir Lenin who argued in his famously eponymous pamphlet that “the economic struggle is inseparably linked to the political struggle”.

>>23063204

>Nelson Mandela: “Anton Rupert and Prince Bernhard have sent me to various places and I put aside everything because it is important if various countries across boundaries work together that unites those countries and the boundaries become something unimportant.”

>>23063158

>>23063152

>>23050770

>>22978097

>>22978099

>>22978104

“WATCH LIVE: President Trump Hosts South African President Ramaphosa In The Oval Office”

https://youtu.be/nTWQYKhtCbQ

May 12, 2025

Johann Rupert (with the golfers he probably sponsors) and John Steenhuisen representing the Oppenheimers are part of the South African delegation, so all billionaires are covered.

17:44 – Ramaphosa: “We were lucky because we had the great Nelson Mandela who taught us how to create peace – to make peace. So we were imparting some of those lessons to him [Zelensky]. I specifically mentioned to him that this is how Nelson Mandela taught that when you want to have peace in a country, do it on an unconditional basis and sit down and talk.”

From 21:19 - Playing videos with Julius Malema’s songs and rhetoric as well as Jacob Zuma’s song against white farmers in South Africa. Ramaphosa seems to be smiling throughout.

Ramaphosa response, “Let me clarify because what you saw, the speeches that were being made; one, that is not government policy. We have a multi-party democracy in South Africa that allows people to express themselves.”

The ANC started the rhetoric and songs against the white farmers in South Africa during the ‘struggle’ [https://www.politicsweb.co.za/opinion/the-origins-of-south-africas-farm-murder-epidemic] and Malema and Zuma were part of the party. The government does nothing about the rhetoric against farmers while a white woman goes to jail “for using a derogatory word against a black police officer 48 times.” https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-43567468

They request to get technology to fight crime, yet crime was very low during Apartheid without technology. Then Rupert complains about illegal aliens however his father encouraged it in Mandela’s own words.

51:20 - Johann Rupert: “You emphasized the devastation that occurs when big companies leave towns and cities and there’s a culture of dependency that develops… Now that’s our problem. If we don’t get our economy to grow, the culture of dependency and the lawlessness will increase.”

Should I remind you of Orania? "Orania: a testament to the power of independence and cultural pride."

They are just there to spread their propaganda… I need a drink.

Canada #77

UK Welcomes South African Activist Who Chants About Killing White Farmers

Authored by C.J.Strachan via DailySceptic.org Friday, May 23, 2025

The British Government recently barred French writer Renaud Camus from entering the UK.

His crime?

Not actual incitement, not violence, not lawbreaking, but a controversial idea.

Camus, originator of the ‘Great Replacement’ theory, was scheduled to speak at a Big Remigration Conference organised by the Homeland Party, as well as at the Oxford Union. His Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) had been approved. Then, abruptly, it was revoked. The Home Office declared that his visit was “not conducive to the public good”.

Meanwhile, Julius Malema, a South African political figure who openly sings “Kill the Boer” at rallies, glorifies racial violence and promotes land expropriation without compensation, was welcomed.

This is not a metaphor. Malema was allowed into the UK in May 2025 to address his supporters in London. The only reason for his delayed arrival was the May Day bank holiday. When he protested, the British High Commission issued a grovelling apology, assuring him the visa holdup was merely bureaucratic, not moral.

The message could not be clearer: ideas from the Right are criminalised, but hate from the Left is indulged.

Toby Young has recently laid this out in detail in his excellent interview on GB News in the wake of the Lucy Connolly appeal decision. His conclusion: the UK no longer defends free speech as a principle, it defends only approved speech. You can chant about killing white farmers, provided your politics check the right boxes. But offer a sociological theory about demographic change? You’re banned.

Let’s be clear: Renaud Camus’s theory is provocative. It raises uncomfortable questions about identity, culture and immigration. One can challenge or reject it. But to silence it entirely, while welcoming actual political violence wrapped in revolutionary chic, is not only hypocritical. It’s dangerous.

A society that punishes ideas but excuses incitement is not protecting its values. It is broadcasting its fear.

Camus, an elderly intellectual with no history of violence, was treated like a threat to national security. Malema, who has stood before crowds chanting genocidal slogans, was treated like a minor celebrity inconvenienced by airport queues. This isn’t policy. It’s ideology masquerading as law.

Once again, the UK has exposed the workings of its two-tier system. British citizens have been arrested for quoting Churchill, misgendering someone online or holding placards in silence. But a foreign politician calling for racial uprising is welcomed, because his fury flows in the approved direction.

Britain used to be a place where you could say what you thought, provided you didn’t call for violence. Now it’s a place where you can call for violence, provided you think what you’re told.

Renaud Camus was banned not because he posed a risk, but because he posed a challenge, a challenge to the dominant narrative. That makes him, in today’s Britain, more dangerous than a man who sings about killing his countrymen.

Malema is in. Camus is out. And that, sadly, tells you everything about who we are now.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/uk-welcomes-south-african-activist-who-chants-about-killing-white-farmers

General Research #28155

China Doesn't Have The Economic Strength To Save South Africa

by Tyler Duren Sunday, May 25, 2025

Geopolitical discussion is swirling around Trump's confrontation of South Africa's government and their complicity in a growing race war against white Afrikaners. The specific issue being open calls for property confiscation and the murder of the white population. No group or political party is singing songs about killing black Africans. They are only singing songs about killing whites.

This fact and a myriad of conditions have led many overseas, especially in America, to worry about the potential for full spectrum genocide. There is already a slow grinding death machine that is chewing up Afrikaner farming communities over the course of years, but it situation could easily cross the line into mass murder.

Others, however, are rooting for South Africa's socialist government.

A common refrain in the past week is the argument that Donald Trump is "pushing SA into the arms of China and the Belt and Road Initiative" by cutting off foreign aid and making the treatment of the Afrikaners into an international debate. What would happen if SA turned to the BRICS? As if this was not already a reality, South Africa has been closely tied to the BRICS since they formally joined the economic bloc in 2010. From 2010 to 2018 the BRICS experienced substantial growth and global influence.

However, the China of 10 years ago is not the China of today. China's foreign direct investments (FDI) in Africa were steady since 2003 (like US investments) as the country started buying up oil and raw commodities, but they are now on the decline.

The communist nation's economy is in dire straits. The shutdowns during the covid pandemic triggered a deflationary spiral that they have not been able to recover from. Foreign investments in China have dropped over 77% since 2022. The country suffered a 27% investment cut in 2024 alone.

It should be noted that the Chinese were already experiencing an export drop in 2018-2019 due to Trump tariffs and reduced consumer spending in the west. In 2025, the CCP is struggling with a crushing deflationary crisis - It's likely if current tariffs remain in place or expand, China will face a financial crash.

In turn, Chinese investment in some regions is shriveling. To put the money situation in perspective, most African nations have little to no capacity to develop without foreign cash flow. They need first-world nations to back infrastructure and resource projects.

China's investment in Africa peaked a decade ago. Their direct investment into Africa in 2023 was $3.96 billion. In 2018 China announced a $15 billion foreign aid and investment deal with South Africa, but there are suspicions as to how much of this cash is actually reaching SA. China's overall cash flow into the region is dropping fast. This was partially due to the pandemic and the lockdowns, but also because of the greater deflationary crisis that has struck China after they finally started easing conditions for medical tyranny.

Keep in mind, there's not a single financial data point coming from the CCP that can be trusted. The government has thoroughly rigged all stats to show steady growth. Experts on Chinese employment data suggest that the government is hiding an impressive spike in joblessness. In the case of youth (workers age 16-25) they argue that China's unemployment is not 21%, but 46%.

This number better correlates to China's falling exports and imports (numbers that are harder to manipulate or hide), and the lack of recovery from the covid lockdowns.

South Africa is also dealing with a persistent trade deficit with China that is benefiting the CCP far more than it is benefiting the SA economy. South Africa primarily exports raw materials to China while China exports a multitude of finished goods with higher value. The trade imbalance has resulted in an accumulated cash outflow of US$114.83 billion from South Africa to China.

South Africa only raised concerns about these alarming trends in 2024, at the ninth FOCAC meeting.

In other words, China's partnership is definitely not a boon for South Africa. China feeds on other nations, they do not save other nations. The narrative that China will swoop in to protect SA if the US permanently cuts off foreign aid and investment is perhaps based on an outdated perception of China's economic strength. Or, it's based on delusion.

South Africa's 32% unemployment rate, instability in infrastructure and depressing violent crime spike are not going to be solved by fizzling investment from China. China can't even save itself and has taken to rigging nearly all of it's economic indicators instead of trying to fix the problem. Their investment plans are falling by the wayside because they can't afford to support Africa anymore. In the meantime, the CCP pays lip service to greater financial cooperation, but the shrinking numbers tell us the real story.

If the South African government thinks they will be able to attach like a barnacle to China's economic ship as a way to "stick it to Trump", then they are in for an unpleasant surprise.

https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/china-doesnt-have-economic-strength-save-south-africa

Canada #77

South Africa’s EFF Leader Leads Chants of “Shoot to Kill, Kill the Boer, the Farmer” at Saturday’s Rally as Media Elites Insist This Is Not Happening

by Jim Hoft May. 25, 2025

South African EFF leader Julius Malema ended his address on Saturday with a revolutionary song at Ward 16, Koppies in Free State.

“Shoot to kill, Nyamazana!”

“Kill the Boer, the farmer!”

This took place just days after President Trump lambasted the South African leader for the hundreds of killings of white farmers in the country and their families.

The fake news media insisted this genocide of whites was not happening.

Then on Saturday Julius Malema led chants at a rally to “shoot to kill – Kill the Boer, the farmer.”

Back in 2018, President Donald Trump tweeted out his concern over the racist South African land and farm seizures and a rash of killings of white farmers.

More:

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/05/south-africas-eff-leader-leads-chants-shoot-kill/

“Bodies pile as DNA backlog exceeds 140 000 cases”

https://iol.co.za/capeargus/news/2025-03-14-bodies-pile-as-dna-backlog-exceeds-140-000-cases/

Published 2 months ago

The SAPS Forensic Science Laboratory is facing a critical DNA backlog exceeding 140 000 cases, causing delays in the justice system and concerns about the ability to prosecute criminals.

Mchunu’s office was responding to Ian Cameron, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Police’s call for the Office of the Auditor General to conduct a full forensic audit into the police’s DNA processing and forensic laboratories as well as contract management within the division.

Cameron said there were a few police officers trained to take buccal samples and the delay meant more criminals were back on the streets, terrorizing already traumatised communities, deeming it a crisis and that forensic equipment had expired.

Irate community policing forums and court watchdogs said the backlog was the nail in the coffin for cases, which were often either struck off the court roll or provisionally withdrawn, referencing a murder and attempted murder case at the Mitchell’s Plain Magistrate's Court, which has waited for 11 months for forensic evidence.

Bianca van Aswegen, a criminologist and national coordinator of Missing Children SA, said the backlog had a devastating impact on missing persons cases as unclaimed bodies piled up in mortuaries.

“There are many unidentified bodies that end up in mortuaries all over South Africa that might link to a missing person.

"We see that many of these unidentified bodies end up being pauper buried and get lost in the system.

https://www.politicsweb.co.za/politics/high-arrest-and-low-conviction-rate-condemned–com

24 May 2025

Mr Cameron emphasised that the current high arrest of the law breakers and the low translation of that into conviction is a direct threat of the objective of reducing the high levels of crime and to pushing back the frontiers of crime in South Africa in the end.

It is concerning that the conviction rate remains low yet there is a proliferation of illegal firearms that are used to pursue crime that continues to kill law abiding South Africans. The City of Cape Town Metro Police and Municipal Law Enforcement confiscated over 1670 firearms since 2021, but only 5% convictions were successfully secured out of the crimes that were perpetrated by those firearms. Clearly there is a leakage in the system of passing cases from members of the South African Police Service (SAPS), to forensic testing and to prosecution. A large number of fire arms that were successfully confiscated from those who illegally possessed them is confirmed to being returned to the hands of criminals in Cape Town although the City Police has a track record of confiscating illegal firearms again.

Canada #77

Bill Gates Pledges Majority of $200 Billion Donation to Aid Africa

by Lucas Nolan 3 Jun 2025

Creepy Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft and a noted friend of Jeffrey Epstein, has announced that the bulk of his $200 billion philanthropic pledge will be directed towards addressing challenges in Africa over the next 20 years.

CBS News reports that in a recent interview, Bill Gates revealed his plans to give away virtually all of his wealth by 2045, with a significant portion of the $200 billion earmarked for addressing challenges in Africa. The tech billionaire made the announcement on Monday while speaking at Nelson Mandela Hall at the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Gates, who had previously stated his goal of funding causes that would help save and improve lives around the globe, was inspired to donate the majority of his fortune by a famous quote from Andrew Carnegie’s 1889 essay “The Gospel of Wealth.” The essay asserted that “the man who dies thus rich dies disgraced,” a sentiment that resonated with Gates, whose net worth is currently valued at $108 billion.

During his speech, Gates emphasized that his donations would primarily focus on partnering with governments that prioritize the health and well-being of their citizens. “By unleashing human potential through health and education, every country in Africa should be on a path to prosperity — and that path is an exciting thing to be part of,” he stated to an audience of 12,000 government officials, diplomats, health workers, development partners, and youth leaders attending both in person and online.

Gates recently accused Elon Musk of “killing the world’s poorest children” through his work at DOGE. As Breitbart News previously reported:

Gates, who claims to be concerned about “global health,” continued his fearmongering in an interview with Reuters, where he claimed “the last 25 years” — which notably included the Chinese coronavirus pandemic — have “been miraculous.”

The next “four years” or “six years,” the billionaire added, will involve “funding cuts from a number of countries, including the U.S.”

“And the number of deaths will start going up for the first time,” Gates insisted, claiming, “They went down from around ten million to less than five million, and now, you know, it’s going to be millions of more deaths because of the resources.”

Musk fired back at Gates calling him a “huge liar” and mocking his personal friendship with Jeffrey Epstein:

The contention between the two moguls stems from Gates’ comments in a CNN interview, where he blasted Musk’s gutting of USAID, claiming it would lead to “millions of deaths.” Musk fired back, calling Gates a “huge liar” and stating, “That’s terrible.”

However, Musk didn’t stop there. He proceeded to take a personal shot at the Microsoft co-founder, referencing Gates’ controversial association with infamous sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “Who does Bill Gates think he is to make comments about the welfare of children given that he was close friends with Jeffrey Epstein?” Musk questioned, adding, “I wouldn’t want that guy to babysit my kid, I can tell you that.”

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2025/06/03/bill-gates-pledges-majority-of-200-billion-donation-to-aid-africa/

“Ramaphosa asks Constitutional Court to overturn NHI judgment”

https://www.msn.com/en-za/politics/government/ramaphosa-asks-constitutional-court-to-overturn-nhi-judgment/ar-AA1FVXF8

2025/06/02

President Cyril Ramaphosa has appealed to the Constitutional Court in a bid to overturn a recent Gauteng High Court ruling that challenged the legality of his decision to sign the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law.

The controversial bill, signed by Ramaphosa in May 2024, is a cornerstone of the government’s proposed overhaul of South Africa’s healthcare system, aiming to establish universal health coverage for all citizens.

However, the High Court in Pretoria ruled shortly afterwards that Ramaphosa’s assent to the bill could be subject to judicial review — a finding that raised constitutional and procedural concerns. The court also ordered the president to provide a full record of all documentation and deliberations that informed his decision to approve the legislation.

This move sparked criticism from legal and political commentators who viewed it as a significant intrusion into executive authority. Now, Ramaphosa is asking the Constitutional Court — South Africa’s highest legal authority on constitutional matters — to review and set aside the High Court’s judgment.

In his application, the president contends that the lower court may have overstepped its bounds, arguing that it infringed on the constitutional doctrine of separation of powers. According to court papers filed by Ramaphosa, the High Court ruling “undermines the functioning of the executive” and grants the judiciary undue influence over matters that, by design, fall within the president’s discretion.

He maintains that while all actions of public office bear scrutiny, the power to sign legislation into law lies squarely with the executive and must be exercised without judicial interference unless a direct constitutional violation is evident.

Legal experts say the outcome of Ramaphosa’s appeal could set an important precedent for the limits of presidential authority and the role of the judiciary in legislative processes. If the Constitutional Court agrees to hear the matter, its judgment will have significant consequences not only for the future of the NHI but also for the balance of power between branches of government.

https://iol.co.za/news/2024-05-16-leaving-no-one-behind-united-nations-applauds-south-africas-nhi-bill/

2024-05-16

The United Nations (UN) has come out in support of South Africa’s controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, following its signing into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa on May 15.

The international political organisation described the NHI Bill as a significant milestone on the road towards universal healthcare that leaves no one behind.

"In line with our Cooperation Framework and advocacy interventions with Government, the UN believes that the implementation of the NHI law stands as a beacon, guiding us towards the realisation of the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Nelson Muffuh, who is the UN’s Resident Coordinator in South Africa.

>>23141432

“Minsiter of Health Aaron Motsoaledi – NHI”

https://youtu.be/yEz3WcOYnhc

Jul 18, 2024

1:17 – “I went back into history to remind them that this concept started 96 years ago. There were commissions starting from 1928 on this issue of healthcare financing. The commission that followed thereafter, the biggest one then, Dr Henry [?] Commission of 1944 [When South Africa was still under British rule] which was thrown away when the National Party came into power… So it’s not as if we have got any choice… We just have to do it.”

“Motsoaledi commends plans to move NHI forward in 2025”

https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/motsoaledi-commends-plans-move-nhi-forward-2025

February 13, 2025

Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has praised President Cyril Ramaphosa for announcing that South Africa will continue its plans to establish the National Health Insurance (NHI) this year.

“Mr President, in your State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week, you confronted critics and doomsayers by saying something they believed shall never be said. If I may quote you, Mr President: ‘This year, we will proceed with the preparatory work for the establishment of [the] NHI,’” Motsoaledi said.

https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/811691/the-start-of-the-nhi-in-south-africa/

“The belief that countries implement NHI because they are rich, they’ve got a big tax base, is not true. NHI is now here. It is here to stay.”

He acknowledged that financial constraints would require the scheme to be rolled out gradually but stressed that this is the norm for universal healthcare adoption worldwide.

https://www.citizen.co.za/news/health-minister-defends-nearly-r10-million-legal-spend-on-nhi-court-battles/

28 May 2025 07:06 pm

The Department of Health has spent R9.7 million on legal fees defending the National Health Insurance (NHI) fund and the NHI Act.

Mostoaledi said there are overall seven cases against the controversial fund, which is designed to give all South Africans access to quality healthcare paid for by taxpayers.

Five of these cases involve the fund itself, and two involve the act.

“We are using the same team of lawyers, and so we might not be able to separate the two. So, we have hired a team that deals with them,” Motsoaledi said.

“I would like to ask the minister how he justifies paying such a large legal team, given that hospitals cannot afford food for patients or overtime for doctors, and given that even the president has a legal team of only about a third of the health minister,” Clarke asked Motsoaledi.

https://deepnewz.com/south-africa/health-department-spends-nearly-r10-million-defending-nhi-motsoaledi-vows-amid-592c3501

The South African Department of Health has incurred nearly R10 million in legal fees defending the National Health Insurance (NHI) legislation, prompting criticism from Members of Parliament over the use of public funds.

Canada #78

RED ALERT: Doctors Sound the Alarm After Fibrous Clots Discovered in Young Children Born to COVID-Vaxxed Mothers

by Jim Hᴏft Jun. 8, 2025

Top medical experts are raising alarm bells over the discovery of fibrous, prion-like clots in the blood of young children born to mothers who received the COVID-19 mRNA injections during pregnancy.

Dr. Kevin McCairn, PhD – a respected systems neuroscientist with over 25 years of experience in neurodegenerative disease modeling – has published explosive findings that could shatter the mainstream narrative surrounding the so-called “safe and effective” COVID vaccines, Slay News reported.

His new sentinel report contains what is believed to be the first-ever documented case of amyloid fibrils—a misfolded, prion-like protein—in the blood of a chronically ill 3-year-old child exposed in utero to Pfizer’s mRNA shot.

According to PubMed, amyloid fibrils are insoluble protein aggregates associated with deadly neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

These fibrils were detected in the child’s blood using Thioflavin T staining, a specialized fluorescent dye. The structures showed alarming signs of misfolded fibrin — a pathological variant linked to abnormal blood clotting and systemic inflammation.

According to McCairn’s Substack:

The child was born prematurely at 35 weeks gestation, one week after the mother’s second dose of the BNT162b2 (Pfizer) mRNA vaccine. The child was delivered without vital signs and required emergency resuscitation. The severe temporal correlation suggests a significant adverse maternal-fetal reaction.

Over the subsequent three years, the child experienced recurrent immune dysfunction, including tonsillectomy and multiple surgeries for persistent middle ear infections. An unusual frequency of common infectious illnesses and impaired immune responses prompted further investigation into systemic pathologies.

Whole blood samples were analyzed using fluorescence microscopy with Thioflavin T (ThT) staining and SEM. In both imaging modalities, fibrillar structures with amyloid characteristics were identified.

Dr. McCairn believes the clotting is not isolated and is urging an immediate halt and investigation into all mRNA use during pregnancy.

According to McCairn:

It has been widely claimed that spike protein and mRNA clear rapidly from both maternal and fetal systems. However, this assertion is not supported by accumulating empirical data:

The Yale Post-Vaccine Syndrome study (2025) identified circulating spike protein in symptomatic individuals up to 700 days post-vaccination.

Yonker et al. (2023) detected spike protein in serum and exosomes of adolescents weeks to months post-injection.

These findings call into question the original pharmacokinetic modeling used during vaccine approval phases.

b) Transplacental Transfer of LNP and mRNA

The claim that the placenta effectively blocks vaccine components has been refuted:

These findings provide direct evidence that mRNA vaccine components are capable of reaching the fetal environment.

c) Fibril Persistence Without Ongoing Seeding

It is often argued that pathological fibrils require continual reseeding to persist. However, this view ignores well-characterized prion-like behaviors:

Knowles et al. (2014) established that amyloid fibrils can autocatalyze, maintaining themselves once seeded under permissive conditions.

Inflammatory cytokines, cellular stress, and exposure to amyloidogenic peptides can perpetuate misfolding cascades long after the original exposure has ended.

Moreover, while postnatal exposure to SARS-CoV-2 or environmental spike protein cannot be ruled out, the severity and immediate timing of the perinatal crisis—occurring within one week of the maternal injection—strongly implicates the vaccine-induced spike as a precipitating cause. Given the known amyloidogenic motifs of spike protein and the known property of the gene-transfection strategy to restrict biodistribution, the precautionary principle must presume that subsequent exposure to environmental spike would serve only to exacerbate an already-seeded amyloidogenic cascade, not initiate it.

Taken together, these rebuttals demonstrate the scientific basis for sustained fibrillogenesis post-in utero exposure to spike protein delivered via gene-based vaccination platforms.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/06/red-alert-doctors-sound-alarm-after-fibrous-clots/

>>23141445

PMNCH: Hon. Dr Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi, Government of South Africa, Board Member, Governments and Inter-Governmental Organizations Biography

https://pmnch.who.int/about-pmnch/biography/pakishe-aaron-motsoaledi

Dr Motsoaledi was appointed as Minister of Health on 30 June 2024. He was the Minister of Home Affairs from 30 May 2019 and before that the Minister of Health from 26 May 2014. He is also a member of the African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee (NEC).

Dr Motsoaledi holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the University of Natal. Prior to his first appointment as Minister of Health of the Republic of South Africa, Dr Motsoaledi had served as Chairperson of the Sekhukhune Advice Office from 1986 to 1994; as Chairperson of Hlahlolanang Health and Nutrition Education Project in 1989; as a Deputy Chairperson of the African National Congress (ANC) in the then Northern Transvaal from 1991 to 1992; as Head of the ANC Elections Commission for Limpopo in 1994; as Head of the ANC Economic and Infrastructure Desk and as Head of the ANC Research and Briefing of election Task Team in Limpopo in 1994.

Dr Motsoaledi has also served as a member of the Limpopo Provincial Legislature from 1994 to 2009; as a member of the Limpopo Provincial Executive Council (MEC) for Education from 1994 to 1997; MEC for Transport from 1998 to 1999 and MEC for Agriculture, Land and Environment in 1999.Member of Provincial Executive Committee of ANC in Limpopo Province 1991-2001.

Before unbanning of ANC in 1990 served in leadership positions in various mass democratic movement structures including in the NEC of the United Democratic Front MEC Education, Sports and Culture in Limpopo Province 1997-2000. First MEC for Health and Social Development in Limpopo Province from 1994-1997, Qualified as a Medical Practitioner MBChB 1983 University of Natal and practised in various hospitals in KZN, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo till April 1994.

>>23118682

>>23141432

>>23141445

>>23141456

About PMNCH: Hosted by WHO, Ties to Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, WEF

https://pmnch.who.int/about-pmnch

Established in 2005, PMNCH is the world’s largest alliance for women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health and well-being, with nearly 1,500 partner organizations working together through 6 constituency groups:

- Adolescents and Youth

- Governments and Intergovernmental Organizations

- Health-Care Professionals, Academic, and Research Institutions Constituency

- Non-Governmental Organizations

- Private Sector and Private Foundations

- United Nations Agencies and Global Financing Mechanisms

PMNCH is hosted by the World Health Organization, based in Geneva.

https://pmnch.who.int/about-pmnch/how-we-are-governed

PMNCH is hosted by the World Health Organization, as one of its four hosted Partnerships.

https://pmnch.who.int/about-pmnch/biography/chris-elias

Chris Elias, President, Global Development Division, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Dr. Chris Elias is the president of the Global Development Division, where he leads the foundation’s efforts in a diverse range of program areas aimed at finding creative new ways to ensure solutions and products get into the hands of people in poor countries who need them most. Focusing on areas with the potential for high-impact, sustainable solutions that can reach hundreds of millions of people, Chris oversees Global Development’s portfolio in Emergency Response; Polio Eradication; Immunization, Primary Healthcare and Global Funds and Agencies, and oversees the foundation’s work in Africa and Southeast Asia. A common theme of these programs is innovative and integrated delivery and strengthening primary health care systems.

https://pmnch.who.int/about-pmnch/biography/shyam-bishen

Shyam Bishen, World Economic Forum, Board Member, Private Sector & Private Foundations

Dr. Shyam Bishen is a senior healthcare executive and board member with over 25 years of global experience in healthcare arena. He joined the World Economic Forum as head of health and healthcare in early 2022 from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle where he was a regional director for seven years and was responsible for partnering to harness advances in healthcare to save lives. He and his team worked with partners to develop and deliver healthcare solutions—including vaccines, drugs, and diagnostics—as well as to discover pathbreaking new healthcare tools that are affordable and reliable.

>>23141445

>"I went back into history to remind them that this concept started 96 years ago… So it’s not as if we have got any choice… We just have to do it."

>>23141468

>PMNCH is hosted by the World Health Organization, as one of its four hosted Partnerships.

WHO Hosted Partnerships

https://www.who.int/about/collaboration/partnerships/hosted-partnerships

In hosting a partnership, WHO lends its administrative, fiduciary and legal framework to the partnership secretariat. These partnerships derive their legal status from WHO and are subject to the Organization’s Rules and Regulations. They have a formal governance structure, separate from that of the WHO governing bodies. Their programmatic accountability frameworks are also independent from those of WHO.

In accordance with Executive Board decision EB132(10), the WHO Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the WHO Executive Board periodically reviews the arrangements for hosted health partnerships including their contributions to improved health outcomes, WHO’s interaction with individual hosted partnerships, and the harmonization of their work with the work of WHO.

WHO currently serves as the host organization for four formal partnerships which have not been established as legal entities:

Alliance for Health Policy and System Research (AHPSR); https://ahpsr.who.int/

European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies; https://eurohealthobservatory.who.int/

Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (PMNCH); https://pmnch.who.int/

Unitaid; https://unitaid.org/#en

https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/partnerships/generic-hosting-terms.pdf?sfvrsn=14cd055a_2

WHO Hosted Partnerships (“Hosted Partnerships”) make significant contributions to the global health agenda and architecture by advancing global health priorities, maximizing outreach and advocacy, informing policy-making and facilitating broader stake holder engagement. In this regard, hosted partnerships have been particularly successful in raising the profile of certain critical public health issues on policy agendas through their communication and brand-building efforts. They also provide broader platforms that facilitate the participation and engagement of a variety of stakeholders including governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, civil society and the private sector. Furthermore, they have successfully mobilized funding commitments to public health initiatives and have galvanized indirect forms of support to WHO programmes. Through public‒private initiatives, hosted health partnerships have been a catalyst for product innovation and have promoted accountability for resources and results. In this regard, hosted partnerships have generated opportunities that have contributed to the success of many WHO initiatives.

“South Africa Under Ramaphosa: A Failed State in Plain Sight” Part 1

https://www.politicalanalysis.co.za/south-africa-under-ramaphosa-a-failed-state-in-plain-sight/

1 February 2025

The election of Cyril Ramaphosa as ANC president in 2017 and his subsequent takeover as the country’s president in 2018 were hailed by many as a watershed moment.

To those disillusioned by Jacob Zuma’s presidency, which was widely criticised as nine wasted years of state capture and cronyism—most infamously encapsulated by the Gupta family—Ramaphosa represented a fresh start.

Many believed that, despite serving as Zuma’s deputy throughout those so-called wasted years, Ramaphosa would be the saviour South Africa desperately needed.

His supporters selectively recalled his role in the CODESA negotiations that ended apartheid, painting him as a skilled negotiator.

Others lauded his business credentials, pointing to his post-politics wealth accumulation as proof of his competence. Here, they said, was the ideal leader—both a statesman and a businessman.

But the idea that Ramaphosa was ever a true businessman was always an illusion. His business career was not one of entrepreneurial grit or visionary leadership but rather a political beneficiary of South Africa’s first wave of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) deals.

These deals, structured in the name of economic transformation, saw established companies hand over massive equity stakes, often up to 25%, to politically connected individuals who became instant millionaires—Ramaphosa among them.

The so-called BEE partners, many of whom had never built or run companies, were suddenly granted the titles of business magnates and captains of industry. But it was always a mirage.

Ramaphosa’s presidency has only reinforced this illusion—that of a businessman at the helm of government, guiding South Africa to prosperity.

In reality, his approach has been profoundly anti-business, marked by indecisiveness, suffocating regulations, and policies that have discouraged investment and economic growth.

Instead of fostering local entrepreneurship and improving business confidence, he has spent his tenure organising international investment summits, hollow spectacles where empty promises are made while South African businesses struggle under his watch.

When the 2019 elections came around, the ANC’s support dipped below 60% for the first time, landing at 57.50%. It wasn’t the crushing defeat opposition parties had hoped for, but it was also far from a resounding endorsement.

Nevertheless, the ANC still held a majority, meaning Ramaphosa had the mandate to implement his vision without coalition constraints.

Yet, no grand turnaround materialised. Instead, South Africa began a slow, painful descent into deepening crisis. Load shedding, which had plagued the country intermittently, only worsened.

In 2019, South Africans endured 530 hours of power cuts. By 2023, that figure had skyrocketed to 6,950 hours—costing the economy billions.

Then came COVID-19 in 2020. The government’s response was chaotic and authoritarian—draconian lockdowns, arbitrary bans, and a crippled economy.

>>23166434

“South Africa Under Ramaphosa: A Failed State in Plain Sight” Part 2

https://www.politicalanalysis.co.za/south-africa-under-ramaphosa-a-failed-state-in-plain-sight/

1 February 2025

Instead of steady leadership and a proactive vision, South Africans were subjected to reactionary policies, a lack of capacity, and blatant corruption in pandemic relief funds. Load shedding persisted throughout, compounding the devastation.

In 2024, a glimmer of hope emerged: Eskom managed to keep the lights on for over a year. But this was an illusion, not a triumph of governance.

On 31 January 2025, the illusion crumbled. Eskom issued a cautionary statement and, within hours, announced the return of load shedding.

And so, South Africa is back where it started. The year without load shedding was not proof of progress but a brief respite before the inevitable return to failure.

The inability to provide a stable electricity supply is the most glaring hallmark of a failed state. A country that cannot power its homes, businesses, and industries cannot function, let alone thrive.

Electricity is fundamental—it keeps food preserved, homes warm in winter and cool in summer, and businesses operational. Without it, economic activity grinds to a halt.

Yet, the power crisis is only one symptom of the broader collapse. Crime and lawlessness have surged to unprecedented levels, with businesses being directly targeted while the government does little to address the crisis. Illegal migration is at its peak. Poverty and unemployment have deepened, and businesses are more depressed than ever.

Economic growth is stagnant, if not outright non-existent. Cities and towns, once vibrant, have decayed into shadows of their former selves, crumbling under the weight of mismanagement and corruption.

And when the ANC finally dropped below 50% in the 2024 elections, securing just 40.18% of the vote, Ramaphosa and his allies did not see this as a wake-up call.

It was not a last-ditch opportunity to change course, to salvage the country, or to reflect on the policies that had driven South Africa into the ground. Instead, it was business as usual.

Even with a coalition partner in the form of the DA (21.8%) and other minor parties—who were not even necessary for governance—the ANC pressed ahead with reckless policies, doubling down on ideological posturing rather than real reform.

>>23166434

>>23166437

“South Africa Under Ramaphosa: A Failed State in Plain Sight” Part 3

https://www.politicalanalysis.co.za/south-africa-under-ramaphosa-a-failed-state-in-plain-sight/

1 February 2025

Instead of prioritising solutions for load shedding, crime, and economic decline, Ramaphosa has pushed forward draconian legislation, including:

 The BELA Act, which strips School Governing Bodies of power and reduces parental choice in education.

 An update to the Expropriation Act of 1975, which broadens government powers for expropriation without compensation, despite existing legal mechanisms already allowing for expropriation under limited circumstances.

 The National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, signed into law in May 2024, in the dying days of Ramaphosa’s first term—a policy that, if implemented, will decimate the entire private healthcare sector.

These radical policy moves have been made in direct defiance of the DA, the ANC’s supposed main coalition partner.

So much for being a statesman. Instead of addressing South Africa’s immediate crises—load shedding, crime, unemployment, and corruption—Ramaphosa’s government has prioritised grandstanding with sweeping new legislation, completely ignoring the fact that the problem has never been a lack of laws, but a failure to properly and honestly implement them.

For 30 years, successive ANC governments have failed to enforce existing laws or manage the country’s infrastructure responsibly. Now, instead of restoring basic functionality, Ramaphosa’s administration has chosen ideological distractions over economic recovery.

Ramaphosa, once hailed as the statesman-businessman who would rescue South Africa, has instead presided over its accelerated decline. If Zuma’s presidency was defined by state capture, then what label does Ramaphosa’s tenure deserve? The “New Dawn” has become a dark age.

South Africa is not on the path to becoming a failed state—it already is one. The mirage has evaporated. The failure is real.

>>23166434

>But the idea that Ramaphosa was ever a true businessman was always an illusion. His business career was not one of entrepreneurial grit or visionary leadership but rather a political beneficiary of South Africa’s first wave of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) deals.

>The so-called BEE partners, many of whom had never built or run companies, were suddenly granted the titles of business magnates and captains of industry. But it was always a mirage.

>>23166437

>Cities and towns, once vibrant, have decayed into shadows of their former selves, crumbling under the weight of mismanagement and corruption.

>>23166440

>For 30 years, successive ANC governments have failed to enforce existing laws or manage the country’s infrastructure responsibly. Now, instead of restoring basic functionality, Ramaphosa’s administration has chosen ideological distractions

The World Bank continues to fund the above.

“World Bank Approves $1.5 Billion Loan for South Africa Amid Mixed Reactions”

https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/world-bank-approves-15-billion-loan-for-south-africa-amid-mixed-reactions/ar-AA1GtSUK

2025/06/11

The World Bank has approved a $1.5 billion loan to support structural reforms in South Africa, aiming to address persistent economic challenges, including sluggish growth and high unemployment. The funds are expected to ease critical infrastructure constraints in the energy and freight transport sectors, which have long stifled business activity and household livelihoods.

In a statement, the World Bank emphasized that the loan will back government efforts to modernize state-owned enterprises, introduce competition in energy and freight transport, and attract private investment. Key focus areas include improving energy security by expanding transmission infrastructure, increasing grid access, and enhancing municipal electricity distribution.

However, economist Redge Nkosi expressed skepticism about the loan’s benefits, arguing that it aligns with a foreign-driven agenda rather than domestic priorities. He criticized the government’s reliance on international financial institutions, citing past failures to meet growth targets.

“In 2019, projections suggested 3% growth by 2025, yet we’re barely at 1%,” Nkosi said. “This loan risks deepening inequality and compromising national sovereignty, as it pushes privatization of key sectors like Eskom and Transnet.”

Questions also linger about South Africa’s ability to repay the loan without imposing austerity measures or tax hikes. The country’s debt-to-GDP ratio stands at around 75%, raising fears of further fiscal strain.

The Treasury has defended the loan, stating it will accelerate much-needed reforms to stabilize the economy. The World Bank’s involvement is seen as a vote of confidence in South Africa’s reform agenda, though critics remain unconvinced.

“Elon Musk wants to launch rockets from a small town in South Africa” – Part 1

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/science/598349-elon-musk-wants-to-launch-rockets-from-a-small-town-in-south-africa.html

11.06.2025

South African born billionaire Elon Musk, who is currently feuding with US President Donald Trump, wants to launch SpaceX rockets and possibly Starlink low earth orbit satellites (LEOs) from South Africa.

In the closed door meeting at the White House after the explosive public clash between Trump and the South Africans, Musk raised two key interests in South Africa.

These were launching rockets from the Denel Overberg Test Range near Arniston, and the current shortage of magnets that require rare earths that China is restricting from being exported.

He did not mention Starlink, which has been in the news in South Africa lately, apparently because the South African government has already set up a process to review its BEE policy as it affects companies like Starlink. No outcome of that process is expected soon.

SpaceX is interested in the Overberg site to launch satellites that would cross the south pole, and for Starlink LEOs that provide access to broadband, two sources in the South African space sector said.

The site, the brainchild of the Aerospace Systems Research Institute (ASRI) led by Prof. Michael Brooks at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, was officially launched in May last year, and in December it launched two suborbital rockets.

The institute’s primary focus is on developing an indigenous commercial space launch capability for South Africa.

More than 30 significant space companies and start-ups are based in South Africa. They collaborate with the South African National Space Agency (SANSA).

Africa is currently experiencing a boom in the commercial space business, with more than 400 companies operating on the continent outside South Africa.

ASRI aims to launch payload carrying rockets capable of putting satellites in orbit by 2028. If an agreement is reached with SpaceX, it might be interested in investing to speed up construction of facilities to launch rockets into orbit sooner.

The December launches tested a newly commissioned, six storey high gantry, which performed flawlessly, according to several reports, as did the South African made rockets, reaching altitudes of 16,6 km and 11,9 km, respectively.

One payload successfully measured the Earth’s magnetic field and flights data during the flight, which lasted for approximately 400 seconds.

>>23166642

“Elon Musk wants to launch rockets from a small town in South Africa” – Part 2

https://mybroadband.co.za/news/science/598349-elon-musk-wants-to-launch-rockets-from-a-small-town-in-south-africa.html

11.06.2025

Road to Made in South Africa satellites

South Africa’s path to satellite development began at Stellenbosch University with the launch of SunSat in 1999.

In 2009, the microsatellite SumbandilaSat, also known as ZASAT-002, was launched for Earth observation, specifically for monitoring and managing disasters such as floods, oil spills, and wildfires in South Africa.

South Africa is currently working with international space sector partners in the US, Europe and China.

The US helped South Africa launch the SunSat satellite in 1999, and the partnership is currently expanding, including a project to build a new deep-space ground station in Matjiesfontein, in the Western Cape.

This facility will play a key role in supporting communications for future U.S. Artemis missions to the Moon and Mars.

South Africa is also strengthening its collaboration with China. In August 2023, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed two agreements with South Africa on cooperation in space projects.

One focused on crewed spaceflight, while the other included South Africa in the team for the planned Chinese-Russian International Lunar Research Station.

South Africa is also working with the European Space Agency (ESA).

>>23166642

>Denel Overberg Test Range

“About Denel Overberg Test Range: A Global Defence Technology Company”

http://www.denelotr.co.za/about-us/company-profile

Denel Overberg Test Range is a versatile missile and aircraft test range specialising in in-flight systems performance measurements for the local and international aerospace industries. As a key player in the South African defence industry, the Test Range has by now also firmly established itself as a cost-effective test venue for international clients. Its suitability and convenience for a wide range of weapon system evaluations has been confirmed during various test campaigns conducted for local clients and international clients from Europe to the Far East. The Test Range prides itself on being able to provide a turnkey service to its clients throughout the year. In this way it not only plays a significant role in enabling the responsible testing of defence equipment, but also contributes to South Africa's foreign exchange earnings.

The Test Ranges holding company, Denel SOC Ltd is one of the largest manufacturers of defence equipment in South Africa and operates in the military aerospace and landward defence environment. Incorporated as a private company in 1992 in terms of the South African Companies Act (No 62 of 1973), Denel's sole shareholder is the South African Government. Operating as a commercial enterprise all Denel Overberg Test Range's revenue is earned from work performed for its domestic and international clients.

Vision and Values

Our Vision is to be the respected provider of flight test and space related services to the domestic market and the preferred supplier of flight tests services in the international arena. Hence we will, to the maximum benefit of all our stakeholders, develop niche markets for flight tests, qualification and certification of systems, telemetry launch support and other related services, and provide our clients with excellent services and products.

https://denel.co.za/

Denel SOC Ltd is a state-owned commercially-driven company and strategic partner for innovative defence, security and related technology solutions. It groups together several defence and aerospace divisions and associated companies.

Its defence capabilities date back more than 70 years when some of Denel's first manufacturing plants were established.

Denel also has a number of equity partnerships, joint ventures and cooperation agreements with renowned international players in the defence industry.

https://denel.co.za/about-us/corporate-governance

The board is committed to applying and enforcing applicable corporate governance principles.It recognises that sound corporate governance enhances the long-term sustainability of the company and provides assurance to its stakeholders that the company is well managed.Risk management and internal control systems in place are designed in accordance with best practice in compliance with the King Code of Governance Principles; as well as the King Report on Governance (King IV report) recommendations, the Public Finance Management Act, no. 1 of 1999 (PFMA); and the governance requirements of the Companies Act, no. 71 of 2008 (Companies Act), as amended.Following the launch of King IV, the company is in the process of implementing the principles of King IV, although the Board charter and Terms of References of the Board committees already reflect the King IV principles.

“Cyril Ramaphosa confirms SECOND meeting with Donald Trump”

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/politics/cyril-ramaphosa-confirms-second-meeting-with-donald-trump-g7-summit/

11-06-25 16:42

Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed he will meet with US President Donald Trump for a second time on the sidelines of this week’s G7 Summit.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to global diplomacy, describing the upcoming G7 Leaders’ Summit as a critical opportunity to strengthen international partnerships and promote the country’s leadership within the G20.

Speaking to members of the media during a visit to Sefako Makgatho Primary School in Saulsville, Pretoria, Ramaphosa confirmed that South Africa had been officially invited to attend the G7 by Canada, this year’s chair of the summit.

‘Key bilateral engagements’

“Yes, we are going to the G7. We’ve been invited by Canada, who are the conveners, who are the head of the G7 this time around. I’m hoping that when we meet the various leaders of the G7, we’ll be able to interact meaningfully with them,” President Ramaphosa said.

Ramaphosa outlined a number of key bilateral engagements scheduled on the sidelines of the summit, including meetings with the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Canada, and the President of the United States, Donald Trump.

“The G7 gives us an opportunity to go and propagate our message, the message about the presidency of South Africa’s G20 and how we want to see great outcomes of the G20. We’re going to use it as a platform to begin to consolidate what we want to have in November when the leaders’ summit takes place here,” Ramaphosa added..

Cyril Ramaphosa is set to jet off to Canada from 14-17 June.

Reflecting on the US working visit

Reflecting on his recent visit to the White House in Washington DC, President Ramaphosa dismissed criticism of the trip, saying it was a strategic move to reset relations with one of South Africa’s key trading partners.

“We do confirm that our visit to the White House in the United States was a moment where South Africa set out to reset the relationship with the United States, and I do believe that we have achieved that.

“Many people were very critical of our going there … and some were even suggesting that we were summoned. We were not summoned. In my telephone conversation with President Trump two weeks earlier, I said, I want to come and see you. And immediately conceded to that, and later they gave us a date. So that is not summoning, it is us taking the initiative that we want to go and see him,” Ramaphosa said.

He said there was engagement that was taking place between the Department of Trade and Industry and Competition and the Department of International Relations.

“So, we’ve opened the way for us to engage seriously with the United States. And on the other hand, we were also going to talk about trade matters, and that is now underway,” Cyril Ramaphosa said.

He added that the White House meeting was also used to underscore the importance of President Trump attending the upcoming G20 Summit, which South Africa will host in November.

The President added that President Trump had “immediately conceded” that the G20 is not fully effective without the participation of the United States.

“For us, it’s important as a nation to reposition ourselves in the very turbulent geopolitical architecture or situation that we have, and that is why it was important to go to the United States, as we will go to many other countries, both on our own continent, in the Middle East and in Asia and in Europe as well.

“We are a country that is exposed and has relations with many countries around the world, and where the challenges and problems, we should immediately take action to correct those,” Cyril Ramaphosa concluded.

>>23166642

>>23166646

>>23166956

“Germany's Rheinmetall to supply 155mm artillery shells to foreign customer amid global demand.”

https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2025/germanys-rheinmetall-to-supply-155mm-artillery-shells-to-foreign-customer-amid-global-demand

4 Jun, 2025 - 9:18

On June 3, 2025, Rheinmetall Denel Munition, the South African subsidiary of the German company Rheinmetall, announced it had received two contracts from an undisclosed international customer for the delivery of 155mm artillery ammunition, for a combined value described as being in the high double-digit million euro range. The orders include the supply of Extended Range Full Bore (ERFB) 155mm artillery projectiles, associated propellant charges, and fuzes. Rheinmetall Denel Munition will handle all aspects of manufacturing internally, encompassing both energetic and mechanical components. These new orders are part of a broader surge in demand driven by the deteriorating global security situation, which has sharply increased the consumption and procurement of 155mm artillery ammunition.

The global demand for 155mm ammunition has risen sharply since 2022, as both NATO and non-NATO countries seek to replenish stocks and supply partners involved in ongoing conflicts, particularly in Ukraine.

In Europe, Rheinmetall remains at the center of production increases, aiming to reach an annual output of 1.1 million 155mm shells by 2027. In addition to its new €600 million site in Unterlüß, Germany, Rheinmetall is building new production sites in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Denmark, and Ukraine.

https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/company/subsidiaries/rheinmetall-denel-munition

Rheinmetall Denel Munition (Pty) Ltd. was established on September 1, 2008 when the Denel divisions comprising of Somchem (Somerset West and Wellington sites), Swartklip, Boksburg and Naschem became part of the Rheinmetall Group. The company became known as Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) with Rheinmetall being the majority shareholder, while Denel holds 49% of the shares.

>>23166642

>>23166646

>>23166956

>>23171110

“Arming the world: Rheinmetall’s secretive ammunition factory program” – Part 1

https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/arming-the-world-rheinmetalls-secretive-ammunition-factory-program

18 December 2024

Germany’s leading defence company is a major supplier to Ukraine and ‘friendly’ Nato countries. But Rheinmetall also has a parallel business, free from German export rules, selling machinery and factories to places rarely named in public. Investigate Europe went on the trail of the arms giant’s little-known global operations.

Two years earlier, in September 2022, a small delegation from the Rheinmetall Group arrived in India. Their goal: to finalise a deal with the provincial government together with SMPP. The trip was not supposed to make any big headlines. Only a few local newspapers took note of the guests. Along with their reports, they printed photos. They showed a cheerful Rheinmetall manager wearing a traditional hat, and presenting a bouquet of flowers to the government representative. The mission was a success. "These companies are going to set up a plant in Nalagarh for defence manufacturing," read a brief press release from the Himachal Pradesh government.

The framework agreement between the Rheinmetall Group and SMPP for the construction of the ammunition plant came into force last year. This October, SMPP entered into two further agreements with a Rheinmetall subsidiary for the "design, installation and commissioning" of facilities for testing and manufacturing ammunition at the site. This is stated in a document that SMPP recently submitted to the Securities and Exchange Board of India. In it, the company also states that a contract has already been signed with a "friendly foreign country" for the supply of 155-mm ammunition.

Press releases from the Rheinmetall Group make no mention of the Indian deal. Instead, in those weeks the company reported that it delivered new mobile air defence units to "renowned Nato customer" Denmark and is participating in a debt-for-debt swap in favour of Ukraine. The group confidently advertises itself with the motto ‘Taking Responsibility in a Changing World’.

The little-known deal with the Indian partner is not an isolated case. It is a part of a firmly calculated “internationalisation strategy”, a vision that Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger has implemented over the past decade. Over the last year, Investigate Europe spoke to dozens of insiders, former high-ranking Rheinmetall employees, analysts and politicians from affected countries. In addition, thousands of pages of public and confidential documents were obtained. Taken together, these conversations and documents paint a picture of a discreet export business where certain Rheinmetall customers stay in the shadows. Among the known clients are states that are linked to extensive human rights abuses and that supply ammunition to Russia.

Without the German government having the opportunity to take action against this, Rheinmetall is skilfully circumventing German arms export regulations thanks to a South African subsidiary.

Otfried Nassauer, a late German peace campaigner who spent years researching Rheinmetall's practices, noted back in 2016 that “the willingness of the group's management to supply ammunition even to warring nations, and states that blatantly disregard human rights, is an essential prerequisite for the economic success of Rheinmetall's ammunition business."

For Rheinmetall it is also a lucrative arrangement. When exporting factories to India or elsewhere, RDM includes an exclusivity clause obliging recipients to buy Rheinmetall products, which “lock the customers into their product range”, the former manager in South Africa explained. The group did not respond to a question about the existence of an exclusivity clause.

>>23171125

“Arming the world: Rheinmetall’s secretive ammunition factory program” – Part 2

https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/arming-the-world-rheinmetalls-secretive-ammunition-factory-program

18 December 2024

“India is striving to become a major arms exporter and maintains close relations with Russia, for example,” says Frank Slijper, who researches the arms trade for the Dutch peace organisation Pax. "Rheinmetall should therefore urgently clarify how it ensures that it is not complicit in supplying ammunition not only to Ukraine, but also to Russia.”

Not even the exports of Rheinmetall’s production machines from South Africa are controlled by European authorities.

Rheinmetall AG, 135 years old this year, was founded to supply ammunition to the German Empire. Not surprisingly, the two world wars were the most successful periods in the company's history.

Since the start of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine in spring 2022, the value of Rheinmetall shares has multiplied.

Campaigners have repeatedly raised concerns about consequences the company would rather remain silent about. Otfried Nassauer, the late German peace researcher, concluded in 2016 that among its global customers were countries “at war as well as those in crisis areas”. According to him, the group also supplied states “where the ‘security forces’ keep dictatorships and authoritarian governments in power."

Shortly after, journalists documented how Saudi Arabia dropped bombs on civilian targets in Yemen which were manufactured at Rheinmetall’s plant on the Italian island of Sardinia. At the time, Rheinmetall said its subsidiaries comply with the “strict legal framework” in their countries, adding: “For contractual reasons, we are not allowed to comment on customer relationships.”

RDM, the South African subsidiary, is also accused of supplying nations with questionable reputations. Critics argue that this is partly due to poorly enforced regulations. For years, Andrew Feinstein, a former member of the South African Parliament, has been a vocal critic of the country's arms exports. "I think there's so little control,” he says, “moral factors are virtually irrelevant.”

In his conversation with Investigate Europe, the former RDM manager admitted that export rules were rarely a concern for the company. “If a country was under UN embargo, South Africa would not export there but every other country was fine.”

And sometimes the South African government did not even know where RDM sent its products. Despite the state-owned Denel still holding 49 per cent, in 2016 RDM delivered a factory to Saudi Arabia seemingly without getting approval from its co-owner. When asked by parliamentarians, the Minister of Public Enterprises had to admit that the government had no say in the deal. Nor were they informed about where the Saudi-produced ammunition would end up. The minister simply said Denel was “not privy to the information”.

Another example of Rheinmetall not hesitating to do business with states accused of violating human rights was seen in Indonesia. There, RDM, together with the state-owned company PT Pindad, attempted to establish a munitions factory. In 2014, then PT Pindad CEO Sudirman Said wanted to cut costs. In order to avoid the shipping costs of importing explosives, he wanted to produce them domestically, Said recalled in a conversation with Investigate Europe.

The same year, the then RDM CEO travelled to Jakarta. At the luxury Shangri-La hotel, together with representatives for Said, they signed a memorandum of understanding to construct one of the largest ammunition production facilities in Southeast Asia.

>>23171125

>>23171129

“Arming the world: Rheinmetall’s secretive ammunition factory program” – Part 3

https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/arming-the-world-rheinmetalls-secretive-ammunition-factory-program

18 December 2024

In 2016, another memorandum of understanding was signed between Pindad and another South African Rheinmetall subsidiary to produce large-calibre munitions. However, both deals fell through, according to a former senior Pindad official, who spoke to Investigate Europe on the condition of anonymity. Indonesian law at the time made a proposed joint venture impossible. In 2020 the rules changed, allowing private companies to produce such weaponry.

Still, RDM continued to do business with PT Pindad. As trade documents show, in 2019 alone the company delivered multiple products for the manufacturing of ammunition. Among them, propellant powder, 40mm-calibre ammunition components, fuses and production machinery. PT Pindad did not respond to Investigate Europe’s request for comment. Rheinmetall also did not comment on the transactions.

What is striking is how openly the company communicates about its expansion in Europe, while its business deals in South Africa rarely feature publicly.

Asked about exports from RDM in South Africa, Rheinmetall said they were bound by “strict confidentiality”. A spokesperson added that its “growing global network” allows the group to “produce for our customers in line with demand – in particular for the Bundeswehr, partner countries from the EU and Nato, Ukraine and other friendly nations.”

The business with the munitions factories is booming. Therefore, Rheinmetall is now also expanding its business in South Africa. At the beginning of August 2024, the group announced that it was set to acquire a majority stake in Resonant Holdings. The South African company, which has around 150 employees, specialises in explosives production plants. In the future, the German company is likely to supply even more munitions factories around the world via South Africa. Or as Rheinmetall put it in a short press release: “The planned acquisition of Resonant Holdings underscores Rheinmetall's commitment to expanding its technological capabilities and offering its partners cutting-edge solutions.”

>>23166956

>Incorporated as a private company in 1992 in terms of the South African Companies Act (No 62 of 1973), Denel's sole shareholder is the South African Government.

>>23171125

>Without the German government having the opportunity to take action against this, Rheinmetall is skilfully circumventing German arms export regulations thanks to a South African subsidiary.

>>23171129

>"Rheinmetall should therefore urgently clarify how it ensures that it is not complicit in supplying ammunition not only to Ukraine, but also to Russia.”

>>23171132

>Asked about exports from RDM in South Africa, Rheinmetall said they were bound by “strict confidentiality”.

Then consider the Lady R

“#LadyRussiagate: Denel denies any involvement in supplying weapons to Russia”

https://www.news24.com/southafrica/news/ladyrussiagate-denel-denies-any-involvement-in-supplying-weapons-to-russia-20230512

12 May 2023

As South Africa scrambles to deal with a diplomatic crisis brought on by America’s claims that the country sold arms to Russia, Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM) has vehemently denied any involvement in supplying weapons to Vladimir Putin’s forces.

In a statement sent to News24 on Friday, the munition’s firm said: “RDM has not delivered any goods to the named ship and has no knowledge of the matter beyond what has so far been reported in the media and, therefore, cannot provide any comment.”

RDM was referring to the Lady R, the Russian ship which docked in the Simon’s Town naval base in December last year. At the time, eyewitnesses reported seeing goods off-loaded from the ship in the dead of night.

Three weeks after the Lady R docked in Simon’s Town, Defence Minister Thandi Modise seemed to suggest goods may have been loaded onto the vessel.

Modise said at the time: “What we do know is that whatever contents this vessel was getting were ordered long before Covid-19.”

>>23166642

>>23166646

>>23166956

>>23171110

>>23171125

>>23171129

>>23171132

>>23171154

“A Question of Transparency: Rheinmetall, South Africa and allegations of indirect arms transfers” - Part 1

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/a-question-of-transparency-rheinmetall-south-africa-and-allegations-of-indirect-arms-transfers/

20-11-24 10:04

Rheinmetall has a long-standing presence in South Africa, where it operates through Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM), a joint venture with South African state-owned Denel. Rheinmetall holds the majority share in RDM, effectively controlling the operations. This venture focuses on producing a range of defence products, including ammunition for artillery, infantry, and naval forces. Although Rheinmetall is headquartered in Germany and partially owned by the German government, its South African operations allow it to leverage local manufacturing capabilities to serve a broader international market.

OWNERSHIP, TRANSPARENCY AND PUBLIC CONCERNS

Rheinmetall’s ownership structure is significant in this context. The German government owns a considerable stake in the company, suggesting an intertwined interest between state policy and corporate operations. Despite this, public transparency around Rheinmetall’s government contracts, particularly those linked to sensitive geopolitical conflicts, remains limited. Rheinmetall is known to supply munitions to several NATO countries; however, specific public contracts in South Africa are notably absent. This lack of clarity on government contracts has led to questions about the nature of Rheinmetall’s relationships and obligations, especially in regions where arms exports are politically charged.

ALLEGATIONS AND PROTESTS: THE MEDIA’S ROLE AND PUBLIC RESPONSE

The initial wave of allegations against Rheinmetall came from South African media, specifically from IOL, which raised concerns about the potential supply of Rheinmetall munitions to Israel. According to IOL, Rheinmetall’s products might reach Israel through complex supply chains involving proxy companies and multiple intermediaries. However, concrete evidence supporting these claims remains elusive. The report relied heavily on conjecture, speculating that Rheinmetall’s network of global partnerships and subsidiaries could facilitate indirect arms transfers to conflict zones like Israel. This lack of hard evidence, however, has not prevented the story from gaining traction. Shortly after these accusations surfaced, unknown individuals vandalized Rheinmetall’s facilities in South Africa, painting graffiti as a form of protest against the alleged arms supplies to Israel. The graffiti has fueled public debate, symbolizing the growing frustration with corporate opacity in the arms industry.

GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS

From a legal and regulatory perspective, there is no clear proof linking Rheinmetall to arms supplies for Israel. Still, for many critics, the possibility of Rheinmetall’s involvement is difficult to dismiss, given the company’s extensive global footprint in defence manufacturing and distribution. The lack of transparency in Rheinmetall’s supply chain raises questions about accountability, especially as South Africa’s foreign policy emphasizes support for Palestinian rights. Recently, in a move that reflects a heightened focus on arms regulation, President Cyril Ramaphosa restructured South Africa’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC). This committee, responsible for overseeing arms exports from South Africa, now includes ANC leaders, many of whom have strong ties to the government. Despite these recent changes, the NCACC has not made any public statements directly addressing the allegations against Rheinmetall, leaving an information gap for South African citizens who are calling for transparency.

>>23171172

“A Question of Transparency: Rheinmetall, South Africa and allegations of indirect arms transfers” - Part 2

https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/a-question-of-transparency-rheinmetall-south-africa-and-allegations-of-indirect-arms-transfers/

20-11-24 10:04

BALANCING PROFITS, POLICY AND PUBLIC EXPECTATION

The timing of this controversy is also notable. Rheinmetall has operated in South Africa for years, and while previous incidents, such as an explosion at one of its plants, have drawn local attention, they did not escalate to the current level of international scrutiny. This renewed attention comes at a time when South Africa is publicly opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza and pursuing a genocide case against the state. In light of these developments, any potential connection between Rheinmetall’s South African operations and arms supplies to Israel raises concerns about the alignment of South Africa’s foreign policy with the actions of foreign corporations on its soil. The issue underscores the importance of ensuring that defence manufacturers operating in South Africa are held accountable to the country’s foreign policy objectives.

While the NCACC and Rheinmetall itself have remained silent on these specific allegations, Rheinmetall’s financial performance offers additional context. Amid escalating global conflicts, Rheinmetall has reported record profits, with recent reports suggesting that Germany has overtaken the United States as Israel’s largest arms supplier. This financial success reflects the high demand for military equipment worldwide, particularly as geopolitical tensions rise. However, the fact that Rheinmetall’s profits are surging as South Africa grapples with its stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict adds complexity to the situation. Rheinmetall’s financial gains, in this context, contribute to a perception that the company is benefiting from conflicts that South Africa’s government actively opposes.

The absence of a public statement from the NCACC or Rheinmetall leaves many questions unanswered. In the current environment of heightened international tensions, Rheinmetall’s role as a major arms manufacturer, coupled with South Africa’s involvement in the Israel-Palestine debate, underscores the need for rigorous oversight of arms exports and corporate accountability. As the media continues to scrutinize Rheinmetall’s activities, the public awaits a response from the NCACC and other regulatory bodies, hoping for clarity on whether South African policies are adequately aligned with the practices of foreign defence contractors operating within its borders.

In conclusion, Rheinmetall’s situation reflects broader challenges in regulating the global arms trade. While there is no definitive evidence of wrongdoing, the allegations have exposed the complexities of ensuring accountability in an industry where corporate interests often intersect with geopolitical conflicts. For South Africa, a country with a pronounced stance on human rights and international justice, the Rheinmetall case is a reminder of the importance of maintaining transparency in defence manufacturing and aligning corporate actions with national values.

>>23166956

> Incorporated as a private company in 1992 in terms of the South African Companies Act (No 62 of 1973), Denel's sole shareholder is the South African Government.

>>23171110

>>23171125

>>23171129

>>23171132

>>23171154

>"Rheinmetall should therefore urgently clarify how it ensures that it is not complicit in supplying ammunition not only to Ukraine, but also to Russia.”

>>23171172

>Recently, in a move that reflects a heightened focus on arms regulation, President Cyril Ramaphosa restructured South Africa’s National Conventional Arms Control Committee (NCACC). This committee, responsible for overseeing arms exports from South Africa, now includes ANC leaders, many of whom have strong ties to the government.

>>23171178

>This renewed attention comes at a time when South Africa is publicly opposing Israel’s actions in Gaza and pursuing a genocide case against the state.

>Amid escalating global conflicts, Rheinmetall has reported record profits, with recent reports suggesting that Germany has overtaken the United States as Israel’s largest arms supplier.

>Rheinmetall’s role as a major arms manufacturer, coupled with South Africa’s involvement in the Israel-Palestine debate, underscores the need for rigorous oversight of arms exports and corporate accountability.

Predition: Rheinmetall’s profits will skyrocket even further.

“Israel is serving the entire world — taking huge risks to stop Iran from going nuclear”

https://nypost.com/2025/06/12/opinion/israel-is-serving-the-entire-world-taking-huge-risks-to-stop-iran-from-going-nuclear/

Published June 12, 2025, 11:57 p.m. ET

Late last night, the IDF began what it said would be several days of airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear program and associated assets.

Good for Israel, acting as it has before (the 1967 war, the takedown of Saddam Hussein’s nuclear program in 1981 and strikes on Syria in 2007) to preempt a clear existential threat to its continued existence.

No serious player on the world stage can honestly deny that Tehran has been on its final run to gaining nuclear weapons, and while some will quibble about whether the regime intended to use nukes to destroy “the Little Satan” (as it has called Israel for five decades), Jerusalem could hardly afford to take the chance.

Iran state media report the deaths of multiple top nuclear scientists, as well as of Gen. Hossein Salami, chief of the Revolutionary Guards — the central force behind all Tehran’s expansionist ambitions.

Tehran will hit back hard, and the IDF can’t be remotely confident it will intercept every drone and missile as it has the last two times. Israel must expect to hurt, hoping that the pain is survivable and simply the necessary price for fending off extinction.

The rest of the Middle East, indeed the world, gets to free-ride on Israel’s bold self-defense: The IDF is moving to take out what would’ve been a menace to everyone else, including those foolish enough to think Iran is an ally.

Yet

https://www.theiranproject.com/en/article/407422/iran-south-africa-ink-agreement-ahead-of-brics-summit

Sunday 13 August 2023

The Iran Project - The cooperation deal signed between Iran and South Africa ahead of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg highlights Iran's efforts to join the influential group of developing economies.

https://www.iranintl.com/en/202401020918

Jan 2, 2024, 09:13 GMT

Iran officially became a member of the China-led BRICS economic organization on Monday, as it seeks to overcome the impact of US sanctions and overcome it isolation.

In its policy of finding shelter under Chinese and Russian-dominated international organizations, Iran achieved full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in July 2022 and concurrently pursued entry into the BRICS group. Following an official invitation, Iran announced its acceptance into BRICS on August 24, 2023, with the official membership commencing on January 1, 2024.

>>23166956

>Incorporated as a private company in 1992 in terms of the South African Companies Act (No 62 of 1973), Denel's sole shareholder is the South African Government.

Republic of South Africa SEC Listing

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/932419/000104746919005419/0001047469-19-005419-index.htm

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA (Filer) CIK: 0000932419 (see all company filings)

EIN.: 000000000 | Fiscal Year End: 1231

Type: 424B5 | Act: 33 | File No.: 333-216978 | Film No.: 191110278

SIC: 8888 Foreign Governments

Business Address

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

3051 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, NW

WASHINGTON

DC

20008

021 464 6100

Mailing Address

NATIONAL TREASURY, 240 VERMEULEN STREET

PRETORIA

T3

0001

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/932419/000104746919005419/a2239762z424b5.htm

Joint Book-Running Managers

Citigroup Deutsche Bank/Nedbank Rand Merchant Bank Standard Bank

The date of this Prospectus Supplement is September 23, 2019.

This Prospectus Supplement supplements the accompanying Prospectus relating to the debt securities and warrants of the Government of the Republic of South Africa (the "National Government," the "South African Government," the "Republic" or "South Africa," unless references to the "Republic" or "South Africa," within any particular context, clearly indicate a reference to the sovereign state of the Republic of South Africa).

No dealer, salesperson or other person has been authorized to give any information or to make any representations other than those contained in this Prospectus Supplement and the accompanying Prospectus and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by the Republic, Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Deutsche Bank AG, London Branch, Nedbank Limited, Rand Merchant Bank, a division of FirstRand Bank Limited (London Branch), or The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (the "Underwriters").

>>23172162

>Deutsche Bank

>>23171172

>Rheinmetall has a long-standing presence in South Africa, where it operates through Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM), a joint venture with South African state-owned Denel. Rheinmetall holds the majority share in RDM, effectively controlling the operations… Although Rheinmetall is headquartered in Germany and partially owned by the German government, its South African operations allow it to leverage local manufacturing capabilities to serve a broader international market.

“Deutsche Bank backs state guarantees for arms industry loans”

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/deutsche-bank-backs-state-guarantees-103220561.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFM8YQtw7Upp6XVQci4niHAwsTiAk8yue6-vmtSI82IbvRCkspnlRub5rqYWww2FLNvV7LHX8iaeR2UIO2MYssEswylS4M5k96eeP_A3fDay7hHxMmCN2SThVJxJzrwZdOMHVlDTSA2ijdZxq7zIGymz42IgWhP796-2ucrtwNb1

April 28, 2025

Deutsche Bank chief executive Christian Sewing has called for state-backed guarantees for bank loans to arms companies, arguing that public funds should be efficiently combined with private capital to finance an expansion of industrial capacity in defence.

In a guest commentary on Monday for the German business newspaper Handelsblatt, Sewing wrote that banks and investors are ready to support the defence sector, noting that Deutsche Bank's loan portfolio in the arms industry totals "a mid-double-digit billion euro amount."

Sewing highlighted the success of the European Investment Bank (EIB) in mobilizing significant investments during the coronavirus pandemic through the use of guarantees.

He called for similar mechanisms to be applied to the defence sector, adding that ideas being floated - such as a proposed EU Defence, Security and Resilience Bank - are promising.

Germany's defence spending alone increased by 28%, totalling $88.5 billion last year.

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/eu-lending-arm-triples-defence-loan-plan-3-billion-euros-2025-06-11/

June 11, 2025 2:10 PM EDT

LONDON/FRANKFURT, June 11 (Reuters) - The EU's lending arm, the European Investment Bank, has tripled a scheme to help fund the bloc's defence industry to 3 billion euros ($3.43 billion) and signed a deal with Germany's Deutsche Bank to start funnelling the money to the bloc's military firms.

https://bulgarianmilitary.com/2025/06/12/europes-banks-are-now-in-love-with-weapons-manufacturers/

Jun 12, 2025

In a striking reversal, major European banks are rushing to deepen ties with the defense industry, a sector once viewed with caution due to reputational risks but now seen as a cornerstone of economic and strategic stability, Bloomberg reports. Institutions like BNP Paribas SA, Deutsche Bank AG, Commerzbank AG, and Societe Generale SA are leading the charge, forming partnerships and launching initiatives to support Europe’s rapidly expanding military sector.

>>23172162

>>23172180

>European banks are rushing to deepen ties with the defense industry

>>23166956

>>23172162

>>23172180

>European banks are rushing to deepen ties with the defense industry

>>23171178

>Amid escalating global conflicts, Rheinmetall has reported record profits

Is history repeating on a global scale?

“Deutsche Bank Linked To Auschwitz Funding” and Rheinmetall; “Forced labor in the Nazi state”

https://www.nytimes.com/1999/02/05/news/deutsche-bank-linked-to-auschwitz-funding.html

Feb. 5, 1999

FRANKFURT— Historians combing through Deutsche Bank AG archives have found evidence that the biggest German bank helped finance construction of the Auschwitz death camp, the chief historian of the bank said Thursday.

Manfred Pohl, director of the bank's historical institute, said it was the first time that Deutsche Bank had been linked to the financing of companies that built the Nazi death camp. Other recently unearthed documents showed that the bank serviced accounts for the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, which deposited proceeds from auctions of property confiscated from deported Jews, he said.

Mr. Pohl said the bank's archivists had found detailed loan records to construction companies that built facilities for "Waffen-SS Auschwitz," the camp's security police. They also found records of loans by Deutsche Bank to companies for the construction of the IG Farben chemicals plant adjacent to Auschwitz.

The revelations follow heightened scrutiny in the United States of the Nazi-era past of Deutsche Bank after it announced plans last year to acquire Bankers Trust Corp., the eighth-largest U.S. bank.

https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/company/history/forced-labor-in-the-nazi-state

From 1924 to 1956, Rheinmetall-Borsig AG was majority-owned by the German state and came under the extensive control of the National Socialist regime during the Third Reich, which was at times expressed in its affiliation with the Hermann Göring Group.

From the early 1930s, Rheinmetall-Borsig AG was involved in the massive rearmament of the German armed forces. The German arms industry also contributed to the prolongation of the Second World War through the mass production of weapons and ammunition of all types and calibres, and their use on the various fronts in the east and West. Rheinmetall-Borsig was involved in the occupation policy in countries such as the Netherlands, France and Poland by taking over operating facilities.

This also included the mass use of forced laborers, both of deported people from the countries occupied by the Wehrmacht in Western and Eastern Europe and of prisoners of war, especially from the Soviet Union. German and foreign Jewish concentration camp inmates were also forced to work under degrading conditions at Rheinmetall-Borsig AG's plants, with many of them dying as a result.

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“Iran 'flirting', drone tech used in Ukraine, Sudan puts SA at sanctions risk”

https://youtu.be/HjzmUJcVaA8

Feb 19, 2025

2:34 – “The worst part about it, these drones have been used in global conflict, including Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Sudanese Civil War.”

“Ramaphosa’s Iran flirtation: How South African military technology and nuclear deals are courting Western sanctions”

https://nationalsecuritynews.com/2025/02/ramaphosas-iran-flirtation-how-south-african-military-technology-and-nuclear-deals-are-courting-western-sanctions/

Posted on February 20, 2025

South Africa’s increasing “flirtation with Iran” and the use of the country’s technology in Iranian drones in the wars in Ukraine and Sudan has put the country at risk of Western sanctions, according to an expert on Middle East terrorism

In an interview with National Security News, Tim Flack from the South African National Defence Union (SANDU) said that the Biden administration had effectively ignored the growing ties between Iran and the allegations of military technology transfer from South Africa to the Islamic republic.

However, he said that the new Trump administration is now aware of the situation, and the consequences for South Africa could be severe.

The US has taken steps to halt aid to South Africa, with President Donald Trump issuing a far-reaching executive order which included citing the country’s “reinvigorated relations with Iran to develop commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements”.

Flack claimed that two drones used by Iran, the Shahed 316 and the Ababil-3, appear to be based on South African technology, specifically the ARD-10 LARC and the Denel Seeker drone.

“It is concerning when our technology is being used by Iran, as there are arms control measures in place to prevent it,” Flack said. He added that Iran appears to have a tight grip on South Africa. Iran is also believed to be behind the country’s decision to accuse Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice, he added.

The alleged military technology transfer between South Africa and Iran is said to have occurred in 2005, when South African telecommunications company MTN, with President Cyril Ramaphosa as chairman, seized the chance to expand its reach to Iran. It is alleged that MTN and its local partners won a lucrative license to launch a new Iranian mobile-phone carrier by bribing their way into Iran.

Turkcell, an Istanbul-based rival, filed a federal lawsuit against MTN, seeking $4.2 billion in damages. The case eventually ended up in South Africa, where Turkcell failed to convince a higher court that dismissed the litigation with costs. The battle between the two telecom giants may be far from over, as Turkcell may be petitioning South Africa’s Constitutional Court.

Flack said that court papers from the case indicate secret internal memos from 2007, which suggest that Iran pressured MTN to fulfil its arms deal promises. Iran also pressured South Africa to accuse Israel of genocide in the Gaza Strip, which South Africa did, and even took this claim to the United Nations, according to Flack.

His warning comes as the country’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, said that South Africa is open to nuclear power project bids from Russia and Iran as it seeks 2,500 megawatts of new capacity to prevent power outages. “We cannot have a contract that says Iran or Russia must not bid, we cannot have that condition,” Mantashe told Reuters. “If they are the best in terms of the offer on the table, we will take any country.”

>>23172975

“🇮🇷 46 Years of Resilience & Progress: Iran’s Islamic Revolution Anniversary 🇮🇷”

https://youtu.be/vC0GtPMSSuM

Feb 19, 2025

“Strengthening Ties: Iran and South Africa Forge Ahead with Multifaceted Collaboration”

https://www.satorinews.com/articles/2025-02-14/strengthening-ties-iran-and-south-africa-forge-ahead-with-multifaceted-collaboration-549651

Published February 15, 2025

In a significant diplomatic event held in Pretoria, marking the 46th anniversary of the Iranian Revolution, Iranian Ambassador to South Africa, Mansour Shakib Mehr, outlined a robust roadmap for enhancing the bilateral relations between Iran and South Africa. With a history spanning over three decades, the partnership between the two nations has blossomed into a multibillion-dollar collaboration, promising even greater expansions ahead.

Last year, the relationship achieved substantial milestones with 15 joint commissions facilitating extensive cooperative ventures across sectors like telecommunications, energy, and polymers. South African firms like MTN and Sasol have already planted firm stakes in lucrative Iranian enterprises such as Irancell and Arya Sasol Polymer Company, respectively. These engagements underscore the economic vitality and potential synergies within this partnership.

The ambassador recalled the shared revolutionary paths of Iran in 1979 and South Africa in 1994, emphasizing the common spirit of overcoming imperialism and oppression. He linked these historical narratives to the broader aspirations of both countries toward self-determination and independent development.

With these renewed commitments, the parley between Iran and South Africa is set not just to continue, but to thrive, leveraging deep historical ties and a shared vision for a sustainable and robust future partnership.

>>23203815

>Iranian Ambassador to South Africa, Mansour Shakib Mehr

“The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Pretoria Presents Credentials to the President of Mozambique”

https://southafrica.mfa.ir/en/newsview/768203/The-Ambassador-of-the-Islamic-Republic-of-Iran-in-Pretoria-Presents-Credentials-to-the-President-of-Mozambique

2025/06/12 - 16:36

On Wednesday Mansour Shakib Mehr Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to South Africa—also accredited as a non-resident ambassador to Mozambique—presented his credentials to His Excellency Daniel Francisco Chapo President of Mozambique at the Presidential Palace in Maputo.

During the meeting, Ambassador Shakib Mehr conveyed warm greetings from the President and people of Iran to the President and people of Mozambique, expressing Iran’s readiness to enhance bilateral relations in political, economic, and cultural spheres.

He emphasized that Africa is a key priority in Iran’s foreign policy and reaffirmed Iran's willingness to share its expertise in various fields, including new technologies, energy, agriculture, technical and engineering services, and healthcare, with friendly African nations.

The ambassador also voiced Iran’s readiness to facilitate exchanges of high-ranking political and economic delegations. Additionally, he called for the release of 12 Iranian prisoners in Mozambique and their transfer to Iran as part of humanitarian efforts.

Reflecting on the historical bilateral relations between Iran and Africa, Shakib Mehr highlighted Iran’s support for African struggles against apartheid and urged all nations—particularly members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation—to take decisive action against the genocide and crimes committed by Israel in Gaza and the occupied territories.

“Financial Networks in South Africa Allegedly Funneling Funds to ISIS”

https://www.satorinews.com/articles/2024-03-02/financial-networks-in-south-africa-allegedly-funneling-funds-to-isis-194387

Published March 02, 2024

An alarming development has surfaced, placing South Africa in the spotlight as a significant conduit for funding extremist groups. Global efforts to combat the Islamic State have hit a stumbling block as investigations reveal that money, including proceeds from criminal activities such as robberies in Johannesburg, is being channeled to ISIS's branches in Central Africa.

The Counter ISIS Finance Group (CIFG), which includes a coalition of countries dedicated to disrupting ISIS’s financial strength, recently shed light on these troubling financial transactions. According to CIFG's latest findings, the al-Karrar Office in Somalia, an established ISIS entity responsible for managing funds, has been exploiting informal financial networks to move money discreetly. This includes routing illicit funds through South Africa.

Within South Africa’s intricate financial landscape lies the hawala system – an age-old, trust-based method of transferring money internationally without moving the physical currency. This system is inherently difficult to track due to its separation from formal banking institutions. Hawaladars, or brokers, in South Africa reportedly ask counterparts in other countries to release equivalent funds to a designated recipient, a practice that falls outside the radar of conventional regulatory oversight or law enforcement.

The CIFG report identifies this informal network which allows ISIS to sustain operations in their Central Africa Province, which currently spans the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique. The funding not only strengthens these branches but it also underpins the operational capabilities leading to widespread violence and terror within the region.

The gravity of these findings cannot be overstated. It serves as a stark reminder of the continuous need for robust financial intelligence and reinforces the urgency for international cooperation in combating terrorism financing. South Africa's role in this illicit financial web implicates local criminal networks but also highlights challenges in global counter-terrorist financing efforts.

With these developments, the question of South Africa’s capacity to manage its financial system vulnerabilities is brought to the fore. The international community expects transparent action and significant improvements to the safety and integrity of the country's financial system. Strikingly, a failure to act could have profound implications, contributing to the destabilization of Central African nations and the amplification of global terrorism concerns.

South Africa’s financial intelligence and regulatory bodies now stand at a critical juncture, where their actions, or lack thereof, might define the country's role in the international effort to dismantle ISIS's global financial arteries.

>>23172975

>>23203815

>The ambassador recalled the shared revolutionary paths of Iran in 1979 and South Africa in 1994

>>23203818

>Shakib Mehr highlighted Iran’s support for African struggles against apartheid

>>23203824

“South Africa: A safe haven for terrorist financing”

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

18 February 2025

Tim Flack

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.

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.

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.

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.

>>23203841

>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.

>>23203815

>The ambassador recalled the shared revolutionary paths of Iran in 1979 and South Africa in 1994

Iran also supports Hamas and Hezbollah

https://www.fpri.org/article/2023/10/iran-and-the-axis-of-resistance-vastly-improved-hamass-operational-capabilities/

October 27, 2023

It is no secret that Iran has long supported a regional network of proxy groups that it funds, trains, and equips. Not only Hamas and Hezbollah, but also Palestine Islamic Jihad, Houthi rebels in Yemen, and a range of Iraqi Shiite militias groups known as Hashd al-Sha’bi. What was not apparent, however, was the extent and impact of training that Iran, via Quds Force, provides. Iran has helped develop Hamas into a formidable organization, growing it from a rag-tag militia into a force that now boasts 40,000 fighters, a naval commando unit, and cyber warfare capabilities.

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“South Africa condemns Israeli attacks on Iran”

https://dirco.gov.za/south-africa-condemns-israeli-attacks-on-iran/#:~:text=South%20Africa%20expresses%20profound%20concern%20regarding%20the%20attacks,civilian%20casualties%2C%20alongside%20military%20personnel%2C%20are%20deeply%20troubling.

13 June 2025

South Africa expresses profound concern regarding the attacks conducted by Israel on targets within Iran on 13 June 2025, including reported impacts on military areas, nuclear facilities, and civilian infrastructure. Reports of civilian casualties, alongside military personnel, are deeply troubling.

These actions raise serious concerns under international law, including the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the protection of civilians enshrined in the UN Charter and international humanitarian law.

South Africa notes with particular concern the implications for nuclear safety and security arising from attacks in the vicinity of nuclear facilities. We recall the firm stance of the IAEA General Conference, reflected in resolutions such as GC(XXIX)/RES/444 and GC(XXXIV)/RES/533, against armed attacks on peaceful nuclear installations as violations of the UN Charter and international law.

Article 51 of the UN Charter provides for self-defence only when a state has been subjected to an armed invasion. Thus, Israel’s public announcement of acting in pre-emptive self-defence is not valid and its actions are once again, unlawful. Anticipatory self-defence is not permitted under international law. Self-defence cannot be based on assumption or anticipation.

South Africa extends its sincere condolences to the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the families of all victims.

We reiterate our unwavering commitment to the peaceful resolution of disputes. South Africa urges maximum restraint by all parties and calls for the urgent intensification of diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and promote stability in the Middle East. We support ongoing bilateral discussions, such as those between the USA and Iran, and reaffirm the critical importance of establishing a Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in the Middle East.

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“Statement by the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Pretoria”

https://southafrica.mfa.ir/en/newsview/768514/Statement-by-the-Embassy-of-the-Islamic-Republic-of-Iran-in-Pretoria

2025/06/15 - 14:22

In Response to the Aggression of the Zionist Regime Against the Sovereignty of Iran 14 June 2025

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Pretoria strongly condemns the recent act of aggression by the Zionist regime against the sovereign territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In a deliberate and unlawful attack, the occupying and rogue regime targeted multiple sites in Tehran and other cities, including civilian neighbourhoods, military installations, and nuclear infrastructure.

This heinous assault resulted in the martyrdom of some of Iran’s most devoted military commanders, scientists, scholars, and innocent civilians, including women and children. It represents a blatant violation of Iran’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a grave breach of international law.

As conveyed in the official communications from Foreign Minister Dr Seyed Abbas Araghchi to the United Nations Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council, Iran has demanded urgent action by the international community to uphold peace and security and to hold the aggressor accountable. A separate letter has also been submitted to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in response to the targeted strike on peaceful nuclear facilities, requesting an emergency session of the Board of Governors.

These violations would not happen without the direct support and coordination of the United States and its allies, whose role in enabling and encouraging such reckless acts cannot be ignored. The responsibility for the consequences of this aggression lies not only with the Zionist regime but also with all those who support and shield it.

The Embassy expresses its sincere appreciation to the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) of the Republic of South Africa for its clear and principled stance in condemning the violation of Iran’s sovereignty by the Zionist regime. This position reflects South Africa’s longstanding commitment to justice, peace, and the rule of international law.

Additionally, it expresses gratitude and appreciation to all those who, since the beginning of the Israeli regime’s aggression against Iran, have contacted the embassy or sent messages of sympathy, solidarity and support.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is committed to defending its people and territory and punishing any aggressor.

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Will South Africa be dealt with?

“Explainer: How can Iran help South Africa advance its civilian nuclear program?”

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2025/03/01/743705/explainer-how-iran-south-africa-advances-nuclear-program

Saturday, 01 March 2025 12:45 PM

Recent statements from South African authorities suggest that the country is open to Iran's assistance in advancing its civilian nuclear program, including the supply of nuclear fuel, construction of uranium enrichment facilities and development of new nuclear power plants.

Speaking to media persons on February 17, South Africa’s Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, Gwede Mantashe, did not rule out involving Iran or Russia in the country’s nuclear expansion plans.

The press queries to Mantashe, one of the South African government's leading proponents of expanding nuclear capacity, and other South African officials, followed recent remarks by the Donald Trump administration about bilateral cooperation between Iran and South Africa.

Washington has increased pressure on Pretoria after President Trump signed an executive order on February 7, accusing South Africa – without providing evidence – of "reinvigorating ties with Iran for commercial, military, and nuclear arrangements."

South Africa has also reiterated that its international partnerships, including those with Iran and Russia, remain fully compliant with its commitments under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the regulations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

During the 1970s and 1980s, as part of its military nuclear program, South Africa developed the unique Helikon vortex separation process and independently enriched uranium.

However, these capabilities were irreversibly dismantled when the country acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1991.

While South Africa initially intended to rebuild fuel production capacity as part of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) project, although on a test scale, the project was ultimately abandoned.

Today, the country does not operate large-scale uranium enrichment facilities for domestic use or export and remains dependent on imported enriched uranium from the US and France.

With its advanced enrichment technology, Iran could also assist South Africa in developing uranium enrichment facilities – an area where many nuclear-capable states maintain a strategic monopoly.

On the other hand, a mutually beneficial bilateral agreement could grant Iran access to South Africa’s substantial uranium reserves. According to IAEA estimates, South Africa possesses 612,000 metric tons of uranium, the sixth-largest stockpile globally, significantly surpassing Iran’s 9,900 metric tons.

Such collaboration would position both nations as key players in the global nuclear fuel market, improving international competitiveness and driving more favorable pricing.

In September 2024, on the sidelines of the BRICS energy ministers' meeting in Moscow, Iranian Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi and his South African counterpart, Gwede Mantashe, exchanged ideas on potential nuclear cooperation.

Highlighting Iran's expertise in the energy sector, Aliabadi said Iran is “ready to share these technical and specialized capacities with BRICS member countries, including South Africa.”

“My family suffered 2 farm attacks, on 2 different farms in South Africa, a decade apart. No justice”

https://youtu.be/7yAUR8HL55Y

Jun 10, 2025

In our Crimes against Humanity documentary, we interviewed Pieter van der Westhuizen. His family suffered 2 different farm attacks, a decade apart, in 2 different provinces. In one of the attacks, he said that the Police Station Commander's son was involved. He was the second person we interviewed that suffered multiple attacks in the family.

“Ramaphosa Says Apartheid's to Blame for Slow Progress!”

https://youtu.be/QEEf0odR6UE

Jun 17, 2025

In a recent address, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attributed the country's slow progress to the legacy of apartheid. Ramaphosa's comments have sparked a heated debate about the role of apartheid in hindering the country's development. Is it fair to blame apartheid for South Africa's current challenges, or are there other factors at play? Watch to find out more.

>>23171247

>The Iran Project - The cooperation deal signed between Iran and South Africa ahead of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg highlights Iran's efforts to join the influential group of developing economies.

>>23203815

>The ambassador recalled the shared revolutionary paths of Iran in 1979 and South Africa in 1994, emphasizing the common spirit of overcoming imperialism and oppression.

“Saudi crown prince says Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei is "very much like Hitler"”

https://youtu.be/ABKz2wJyDaU

Mar 15, 2018

0:30 – “Because he wants to expand, he wants to create his own project in the Middle East, very much like Hitler who wanted to expand at the time. Many countries around the world and in Europe did not realize how dangerous Hitler was until what happened happened. I don’t want to see the same events happening in the Middle East.”

“The Iranian Project: Goals and Consequences”

https://khazna.ku.ac.ae/ws/portalfiles/portal/19119365/The-Iranian-Project-Goals-And-Consequences.pdf

By Ismaeel Abdulla Al Mansouri

2015

This thesis addresses a fundamental aspect of Iran’s foreign policy, primarily the so called Iran project. It encompasses three essential aspects: territorial expansion, ideological expansion and Iran’s nuclear program. While the Iranian Project may seem a recent manifestation of Iran’s regional ambitions, it is in fact deeply rooted in history. The current regime in Iran inherited the Shah’s expansionist policy; a continuation of a tradition which began centuries ago in its history, well-rooted in the Sassanid Dynasty’s expansionist tendencies across Arabia in pre-Islamic eras. On the territorial level, Iran has imposed the right to navigation in Shat Al Arab, its eastern borders with Iraq and has extended this by crossing into Iraq’s territory. In addition, it has claimed sovereignty over three of UAE’s islands in the Arabia Gulf. In terms of ideological expansion, Iran has been actively promoting Shi’ism and exporting its revolutionary ideology since 1979. It has actively supported Hezbollah in Lebanon and other Shi’ movements across Arabia reviving old Sunni-Shi’ animosities. Iran has pursued a process of destabilization in Arab countries such as Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Lebanon. It has substantiated its territorial and ideological claims with a commitment to nuclear arms. Iran has fully constructed a nuclear program which aims at producing nuclear weapons seeking to impose its dominance over regional affairs, therefore, prompting a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. In order to counter the threat, Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia have been actively confronting Iran in different fronts, in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen, to name a few. However, at this point this far reaching confrontation with Iran is only assembling, but it is expected to develop at a certain period of time into a direct confrontation between the two sides, which will destabilize the entire region.

This thesis examines the Iran Project (IP) in terms of its ideological dimension, territorial expansion and nuclear program. The IP is not a new national project, rather a continuation of Iran’s hegemonic dominance in the Gulf and the Greater Middle East region over the past two millennia. However, this program with its militant dimension was articulated specifically in 2005 during the Ahmadinejad administration, which promoted turbulence, instability and dominance in the region. It has also been associated with the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. While Iran managed to manipulate the American invasion in order to topple two of its most ardent Sunni enemies, the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, and the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, it has come at a heavy cost to Iraq. Ultimately, the US withdrew from Iraq and literally handed this country to Iran in 2010. Therefore, Iran has become the primary beneficiary of the US invasion of Iraq, and therefore, has utilized its influence in Iraq to reengineer the political scene there, and expand into neighboring countries especially Syria. Iran’s project has also been facilitated by the phenomenon of the Arab Spring and the instability it has brought to the region. The Arab Spring uprisings were valuable to Iran, which took credit for it from day one, claiming that it was a continuation of the Iranian Revolution, inspired by it and seeking its identical goals. Such a claim was rejected by the revolutionary forces which distanced themselves from Iran and its model of governance.

>>23221289

>https://youtu.be/ABKz2wJyDaU

Embedded

“Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Raceway story — Who’s really behind the land grabs in South Africa?”

https://youtu.be/u4XZaRrhaZM

Premiered 23 hours ago

For more information about this project — and to support the continuation of this work — please visit: https://stolenground.co.za/

For decades, Tygerberg Raceway was more than just a racetrack. It was a heartbeat for grassroots motorsport, a space where families gathered, dreams were built, and communities thrived. Today, it’s been swallowed whole — not by development, but by chaos.

In Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Racetrack Story, we uncover the shocking truth behind one of the most controversial land invasions in Cape Town’s recent history. What happened at Tygerberg isn’t an isolated event — it’s part of a growing national crisis. Land grabs. Shack farming. Political silence. Legal paralysis. And ordinary citizens left to pick up the pieces.

From exclusive interviews with Chris Liebenberg, the man who tried to save the racetrack, to legal experts like Martin van Staden and Mark Oppenheimer, and high-ranking political figures such as JP Smith, Luyolo Mphithi, and Robert King, this documentary digs deep into:

– The PIE Act and how it weaponises land occupation

– The rise of shack farming syndicates and the economy of illegal settlements

– The failure of SAPS and law enforcement to act

– The political theatre that protects illegal invasions

– The economic and cultural loss to Cape Town’s motorsport community

– And the people — both occupiers and owners — caught in the crossfire

But this isn’t just a story of one racetrack. It’s a warning. If property rights continue to be eroded, if invasions continue unchecked, who’s next?

Watch the documentary they don’t want you to see — because when the law fails, truth becomes our last line of defence.

Canada #78

A Quiet Grip On Africa

Authored by Tamuz Itai via The Epoch Times Monday, Jun 23, 2025

Africa, a continent rich in resources and resilience, is a mostly silent battleground in a geopolitical contest. While global attention fixates on the Middle East, Ukraine, or Taiwan, China, under the direction of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), is reshaping Africa’s future through loans, infrastructure, and control of critical minerals. This isn’t just Africa’s story—it’s a test case for a global model that trades sovereignty for dependency. Democratic nations must counter with partnerships that prioritize African agency, learning from past mistakes to avoid repeating them.

To understand China’s grip, we must revisit Africa’s scarred past. European colonial powers plundered resources and drew arbitrary borders, leaving deep wounds. Post-independence in the 1960s, Cold War rivalries destabilized Africa. The U.S. backed dictators like Mobutu Sese Seko in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) and Siad Barre in Somalia to counter Soviet influence, undermining democracy. Debt crises in the 1970s and 1980s, worsened by International Monetary Fund austerity, stifled growth. From the 1980s to 2000s, Western aid dwindled as conflicts like Rwanda’s genocide raged, sidelining Africa. This vacuum enabled China’s rise, starting with the 2000 Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), offering loans without Western-style conditions.

Exploiting this neglect, China, under CCP direction, launched a strategic offensive. Its state-owned banks have extended $170 billion in loans since 2000. In Kenya, they funded the $3.6 billion Nairobi-Mombasa Railway; in Ethiopia, the $4.5 billion Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway. Zambia’s $2 billion Kafue Gorge Lower Hydropower Project, 85 percent Chinese-funded, led to a 2020 debt default. The CCP’s playbook includes loans, contracts for Chinese firms using Chinese labor, access to resources, surveillance-enabled digital infrastructure, and elite capture through lucrative deals for political allies. In Uganda, Huawei aided government surveillance of opposition figures. In Addis Ababa, the Chinese-built African Union headquarters sent data to Shanghai servers nightly from 2012 to 2017.

Africa’s critical minerals are central to this strategy. The DRC produces 80 percent of global cobalt, with Chinese firms controlling 72 percent of its mines, like Tenke Fungurume. Zimbabwe’s lithium powers China’s battery production. Copper from Zambia and the DRC supports renewables. Manganese from South Africa and Ghana, 58 percent Chinese-imported, is vital for steel. Rare earths from the DRC and Tanzania underpin tech and defense. China, controlling 60 percent of global mineral production and 85 percent of processing, locks in supply chains for EVs, solar panels, and military technology. In 2020, Chinese media threatened to cut rare earth exports to U.S. defense contractors, a tactic repeated in recent trade tensions, highlighting global dependency.

China’s narrative—“we were colonized too, we understand your struggle”—resonates with African leaders wary of Western hypocrisy. Beijing leverages its history of resisting foreign domination to build trust, offering no-strings loans, unlike Western demands for reforms. In Zimbabwe, sanctioned by the West, President Mnangagwa praises China’s $2.7 billion investments in mining and energy as “non-intrusive.” Ethiopia’s late Prime Minister Meles Zenawi lauded China’s model, securing $7 billion for railways and dams. Yet, this narrative masks costs that Africans increasingly challenge.

Africans are not passive, actively resisting China’s grip. In the DRC, workers at Tenke Fungurume protest low wages and hazardous conditions, demanding fair labor. Similarly, Kenyan activists, led by Okoa Mombasa, sue over Huawei’s “safe city” surveillance infringing privacy. Meanwhile, Zambia’s President Hichilema renegotiates $6 billion in Chinese debts, prioritizing transparency. Ghana’s 2017 crackdown deported 4,500 Chinese illegal gold miners. Nigeria’s tech startups, like Paystack, and Ethiopia’s women-led textile firms, supported by UNIDO, push for local economic control, demanding leaders prioritize citizens over foreign interests.

As Africa resists, the free world responds with renewed urgency. The Trump administration is shifting U.S. strategy toward investment-led, trade-driven growth, launching commercial diplomacy missions to connect U.S. firms with Africa’s $435 billion import market and $180 billion digital economy, projected to reach $700 billion by 2050. The G7’s Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII) pledges $600 billion by 2027, including the U.S.-backed Lobito Corridor railway ($2 billion) linking Angola, Zambia, and the DRC to secure critical minerals like cobalt.

The U.S. Development Finance Corporation funds South Africa’s $400 million Redstone Solar project, while the EU’s Global Gateway supports Kenya’s $1.5 billion Menengai geothermal plant. Power Africa delivers millions of electricity connections. The Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) has trained 22,000 youth, and the EU’s $22.7 billion package targets transport and education. The EllaLink optic cable counters Chinese digital infrastructure. These initiatives signal progress, but African leaders have learned to demand tangible benefits to ensure mutual prosperity.

As the free world and African leaders navigate this contest, the stakes extend beyond resources. Africa’s minerals fuel global economies, but its vibrant societies and people deserve our consideration. If China’s CCP-led model of debt, surveillance, and resource control continues spreading to Latin America or Eastern Europe, national sovereignty falters. To counter the CCP’s model, nations of the free world need to also consider lessons from the Cold War, like the results of long-term backing of really bad autocrats for temporary expediency.

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/quiet-grip-africa

“South Africa calls on the United States, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution”

https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/south-africa-urges-dialogue-end-israel-iran-conflict-22-jun-2025

22 Jun 2025

President Cyril Ramaphosa and the South African government have noted with a great deal of anxiety the entry by the United States of America into the Israel-Iran war.

It was South Africa’s sincerest hope that President Donald Trump would use his influence and that of the US government to prevail on the parties to pursue a dialogue path in resolving their issues of dispute.

South Africa calls on the United States, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution of the matters of dispute, including the inspection and verification of Iran's status of uranium enrichment, as well as its broader nuclear capacity.

>>23231064

>give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution

>>23221289

>This thesis examines the Iran Project (IP) in terms of its ideological dimension, territorial expansion and nuclear program.

"All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others" George Orwell

The Hypocrisy of the United Nations

https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-184801/

the Security Council, in particular resolutions 425 (1978) of 19 March 1978,

2. Reaffirms the legitimacy of the struggle of peoples for independence, territorial integrity, national unity and liberation from colonial domination, apartheid and foreign occupation by all available means, including armed struggle;

4. Strongly condemns those Governments that do not recognize the right to self-determination and independence of all peoples still under colonial domination, alien subjugation and foreign occupation, notably the peoples of Africa and the Palestinian people;

6. Strongly condemns the constant and deliberate violations of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, as well as the expansionist activities of Israel in the Middle East, which constitute an obstacle to the achievement of self-determination and independence by the Palestinian people and a threat to peace and stability in the region;

9. Condemns the policy of "bantustanization" and reiterates its support for the oppressed people of South Africa in its just and legitimate struggle against the racist minority regime of Pretoria [Yet there are about 142 race based laws currently in South Africa];

14. Determines that the South African racist regime must take additional steps to implement the profound and irreversible changes called for in the Declaration on Apartheid;

15. Calls for an immediate end to violence, and calls upon the South African regime to take urgent action to end it, specifically by dismantling the apartheid structures and ensuring that effective and impartial action is taken by its security forces, and calls upon all parties concerned to contribute to the establishment of a climate free of violence; [Where is the UN’s outcry for the ever increasing violence plaguing our country right now?]

file:///D:/Research/A_RES_S-16_1-EN.pdf

S-16/1. Declaration on Apartheid and Its Destructive Consequences in Southern Africa (14 December 1989)

We, the States Members of the United Nations,

Reaffirming our conviction, which history confirms, that where colonial and racial domination or apartheid exist, there can be neither peace nor justice.

Affirming that apartheid, characterized as a crime against the conscience and dignity of mankind, is responsible for the death of countless number of people in South Africa, has sought to dehumanize entire peoples and has imposed a brutal war on the region of southern Africa, which has resulted in untold loss of life, destruction of property and massive displacement of innocent men, women and children and which is scourge and affront to humanity that must be fought and eradicated in its totality.

>>23231105

>Reaffirming our conviction, which history confirms, that where colonial and racial domination or apartheid exist, there can be neither peace nor justice.

>Affirming that apartheid, characterized as a crime against the conscience and dignity of mankind, is responsible for the death of countless number of people in South Africa, has sought to dehumanize entire peoples and has imposed a brutal war on the region of southern Africa, which has resulted in untold loss of life, destruction of property and massive displacement of innocent men, women and children and which is scourge and affront to humanity that must be fought and eradicated in its totality.

“The huge increase in race laws since 1996”

https://youtu.be/fRbl5LVUSTI

Oct 10, 2024

Catch the full episode of The Pioneer Podcast, featuring a compelling discussion with Martin van Staden from the Free Market Foundation. He breaks down the Race Law Index and delves into South Africa's "race mania." We take a closer look at the impact of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) laws and question their real-world effects. The episode wraps up with practical solutions for tackling racially biased legislation.

>>23231064

>>23231105

>>23231111

“Architects of the Slow War against White South Africans” 1 of 2

https://southafricatoday.net/south-africa-news/architects-of-the-slow-war-against-white-south-africans/

August 24, 2014

Since the fall of Apartheid in 1994 South Africa has seen an explosion in violent crime and in 20 short years has become the rape and murder capital of the world. This under the rule of the African National Congress (ANC).

The Urban Dictionary defines a Slow War as a war that is only visible when the big pattern is revealed over time. If you could play the seemingly-isolated events of a Slow War in speeded-up time, its real nature would be visible.

A Slow War is the opposite of the Blitzkrieg. A war so slow that you hardly notice it. A war so slow that those waging it can deny that it is actually happening. Under the fog of war they hide it as “ordinary crime”.

The end result is still the same as the Blitzkrieg. Total annihilation of the enemy.

Signs of the Slow War against Whites in South Africa:

• Afrikaans schools and universities forced to become English and taken over by blacks.

• Afrikaans language disappearing from television.

• Whites forced out of the civil service in their hundreds of thousands and replaced by incompetent blacks.

• Names of towns and streets replaced with the names of Marxist terrorists.

• 4000 white farmers killed.

• 40,000 whites robbed, raped, tortured and murdered in their homes.

One group has suffered greatly and their situation is getting worse by the day. Being a farmer in South Africa is officially the most dangerous job in the world. In fact you are 2.2 times more likely to be murdered as a SA farmer than a SA police officer is.

The South African farmer’s murder rate is 220 in 100,000. South Africa has been ruled by the African National Congress since 1994. In 1997 the government had the opinion that farmers were uniquely being targeted for murder.

South Africa’s then minister of safety and security Sydney Mufamadi established the joint task force of police, military and organized agriculture to develop a plan to protect farmers. It became the Rural Protection Plan and commando groups were tasked to protect the farmers.

In 1999 a “priority committee on rural safety” was created to ensure rural crime prevention strategies were treated as a national security priority. In 2001 police established an independent committee of inquiry into farm attacks. As a result from 2001-2007 police included a separate statistic for farm attacks and murders in their annual reports.

>>23231064

>>23231105

>>23231111

>>23231115

“Architects of the Slow War against White South Africans” 2 of 2

https://southafricatoday.net/south-africa-news/architects-of-the-slow-war-against-white-south-africans/

August 24, 2014

In the past decade the government’s attitude towards Afrikaans farmers as well as the European descended population has taken a 180 degree turn. The recording of farm attacks and murders were stopped in 2007 without explanation.

Then President Thabo Mbeki disbanded the commando units that same year giving the responsibility of protecting farms to the South African Police SAPs. It took eight years for the police to come up with a plan to protect farmers.

Up till 2007 the Democratic Alliance (DA) also actively supported the fight against farm attacks as reported by Mail and Guardian on 6 May 2007 [https://mg.co.za/article/2007-05-06-da-calls-for-hard-labour-criminals/].

“In another security-related motion, the congress called on the government to implement an effective policing policy in all rural areas, and to stop closing down commandos until sector policing units were in place.

“Proposing that motion, the party’s safety and security spokesperson Diane Kohler-Barnard said it was completely unacceptable that farmers, who fed the nation and had irreplaceable skills, should be left unprotected and exposed in the face of increasing farm attacks.”

Why did the DA stop supporting the fight against farm attacks in South Africa? Political incorrect to support the White minority in South Africa? Gain support of the masses by only addressing the issue of “ordinary crime”?

“The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.” – Albert Einstein

>>23231064

>>23231105

>>23231111

>>23231115

>The end result is still the same as the Blitzkrieg. Total annihilation of the enemy.

>Signs of the Slow War against Whites in South Africa:

>>23231118

“SA's New Race-Based Hiring Quotas | Explained in 5 Minutes”

https://youtu.be/Q3YNUGuUlzs

Jun 20, 2025

South Africa's new Employment Equity Act represents unprecedented danger to businesses countrywide.

For the first time, the Act introduces explicit 'employment quotas' based on race, gender, and disability. These quotas restrict white male employment to just 4% in many categories and create absurd requirements that ignore industry realities, threatening to increase unemployment for all communities.

These rigid demographic quotas are business and job killers for everyone.

Responsible business people cannot allow racial hiring quotas to become mandatory for operating a business.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

00:27 - History of Employment Equity Act

01:25 - New 'Employment Quotas'

02:09 - What's the Impact?

03:07 - Tough Decisions for Companies

03:52 - Increasing Unemployment

04:27 - Taking Action

05:44 - Support our Mission

>>23231064

>>23231105

>>23231111

>>23231115

>The end result is still the same as the Blitzkrieg. Total annihilation of the enemy.

>Signs of the Slow War against Whites in South Africa:

>>23231118

>>23231128

“3rd Wave BEE: The Next Attack on Private Business”

https://youtu.be/LGEJkvPNd7M

Feb 14, 2025

The 3rd Wave of BEE represents unprecedented danger to businesses across South Africa.

This wave aims to make BEE mandatory everywhere.

Meaning, BEE-based regulations directly on private businesses and transactions that have nothing to do with the government. Responsible business people cannot allow BEE to become a requirement for simply participating in the economy.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Introduction

00:24 - 1st Wave BEE

01:16 - 2nd Wave BEE

02:01 - 3rd Wave BEE

02:43 - An Example

03:44 - The Sakeliga Approach

>>23231064

>>23231105

>Reaffirming our conviction, which history confirms, that where colonial and racial domination or apartheid exist, there can be neither peace nor justice.

>>23231111

>>23231115

>>23231118

>>23231128

>>23231146

“WATCH: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa addresses 2024 UN General Assembly”

https://youtu.be/9FLFViggrlc

Sep 24, 2024

11:34 – “It requires that the UN Security Council should be a more representative body and inclusive. 78 years since its formation, the structure of the United Nations Security Council remains largely unchanged. Africa and its 1.4 billion people remain excluded from its key decision making stuctures. This cannot continue.”

“‘We won’t be silent as apartheid is perpetrated against others’ – South Africa”

https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/09/1154816

24 September 2024

In his address to Assembly's annual high-level debate, he said, “The South African story bears witness to the enduring role of the United Nations in global matters. In supporting our struggle, the UN affirmed the principles of the UN Charter – fundamental human rights, the dignity and worth of every person, and the equal rights of nations large and small.”

With his country’s historic struggle to secure a flourishing democracy in mind, President Ramaphosa emphasized: “We South Africans know what apartheid looks like [and] we will not remain silent and watch as apartheid is perpetrated against others” in Gaza as Israel continues its collective punishment of the Palestinians.

He called for a collective effort through the UN system and other multinational institutions to end civilian suffering and for South Africa's legal action taken against Israel through the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to prevail.

“The only lasting solution is the establishment of a Palestinian State that will exist side by side with Israel with East Jerusalem as its capital,” he stressed.

On other issues, he said every effort must be taken to bring peace to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Yemen, Ukraine and the Sahel region, but that all requires a truly representative and inclusive Security Council.

“The Security Council must be reformed as a matter of urgency. It must become more inclusive so that the voices of all nations can be heard and considered.”

He added that, "Africa stands ready to play its role in building a safer global order by participating in the work of the UN Security Council on the basis of respect and acceptance.”

President Ramaphosa said as part of the search for a safer world order, there must be greater cooperation between the UN and the African Union to resolve the root causes of wars on the continent.

“US Anti-Terrorism Cases Against [South Africa’s] MTN Group Put Multinationals in Peril” – Part 1

https://www.fpri.org/article/2025/05/us-anti-terrorism-cases-against-mtn-group-put-multinationals-in-peril/

Michael Walsh

May 15, 2025

In April 2025, legal scholars raised concerns about the ongoing Iran-related terrorism cases against the MTN Group in the US court system. Professor Jeffrey Breinholt of George Washington University even went so far as to express his belief that MTN Group may have committed securities fraud. A few weeks ago, MTN Group experienced another unwelcome development. After more than a decade in the South African courts, the South African Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that South African courts have jurisdiction to hear a separate Iran-linked bribery case brought against MTN Group. Its legal woes mounting, legal scholars are now saying that multinational companies should do more to notify their own shareholders of the risks of their own business partnerships with the MTN Group. That includes US financial services companies (e.g., BNY Mellon; Mastercard), professional services companies (e.g., Accenture; Covington & Burling; Deloitte), and technology companies (e.g., Apple; Meta; Microsoft).

The Anti-Terrorism Act

On 17 March 2025, the MTN Board of Directors authorized the most recent version of its Annual Financial Statements. That report disclosed that MTN Group is involved in a total of five Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) cases in US courts.

One of those cases is Zobay v. MTN Group Limited. That case alleges that MTN Group is legally responsible for damages involving “a group of American citizens killed or injured by terrorist attacks in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2011 and 2019.”

On 28 September 2023, the plaintiffs passed the first major legal hurdle in their case when a United States District Court ruled that they had plausibly stated a claim for aiding and abetting liability against MTN Group, and the court denied a motion to dismiss MTN Group from the case.

That order carries political implications for President Cyril Ramaphosa, who served as the MTN Chairman of the Board from 2002 to 2013. That means that he was at the helm when some of the aiding and abetting-related claims are said to have occurred. According to William Saunderson-Meyer, “MTN’s close connections to the (African National Congress) elite” creates “a gigantic political problem” for South Africa.

The Director’s Report Could be Evidence Against MTN

Despite losing the motion to dismiss, the Annual Financial Statements reported that the company had assessed the risks associated with ATA cases as “remote,” and therefore, no contingent liabilities had been disclosed.

“From a governance and risk disclosure standpoint,” Professor John Katsos of American University of Sharjah argues that “the prudent approach” would have instead been “to treat this litigation as a non-remote contingency and disclose the potential financial and operational impacts.” By pursuing an alternative approach, Katsos warns that the MTN Group has now created the risk that the annual financial statements could “later be deemed misleading to investors,” which could lead to further litigation that “would need to wind its way through the courts.”

Those risks are problematic for the newly appointed South African Special Envoy to the United States, Mcebisi Jonas, who was the MTN Chairman of the Board when the most recent annual financial statements report was authorized. As MTN Chairman of the Board, Jonas had a fiduciary responsibility to protect the interests of MTN Group as well as its shareholders. This included ensuring that the Board of Directors exercised proper oversight of the Annual Financial Statements.

Ecosystem Risks

Over the past few years, MTN has established business relationships with several multinational corporations that have a US jurisdictional nexus. Prominent examples include Accenture, Apple, Bank of New York Mellon, Ericsson, Deloitte, Genesys, IHS Towers, Mastercard, Microsoft, and Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp.

Now that a United States District Court has denied the motion to dismiss MTN Group from Zobay v. MTN Group, Professor Breinholt warns that these companies face significant risks in doing business with MTN Group. Breinholt is a former US government official who spent over two decades working on counterterrorism and national security law in the US Department of Justice. He is also the editor of “Pursuing terrorists in US civil courts: the Encyclopedia of ATA cases.”

With the United States District Court order in the public domain, Breinholt says that multinational companies “can’t very well say that they didn’t know about” the risks associated with doing business with MTN Group.

>>23235869

“US Anti-Terrorism Cases Against [South Africa’s] MTN Group Put Multinationals in Peril” – Part 2

https://www.fpri.org/article/2025/05/us-anti-terrorism-cases-against-mtn-group-put-multinationals-in-peril/

Michael Walsh

May 15, 2025

The risks include legal risks.

“The Zobay order’s recognition that the plaintiffs ‘plausibly stated a claim for aiding-and-abetting liability” under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA)raises serious concerns for US companies maintaining relationships with MTN Group,” explains Katsos. “From a legal standpoint, any American entity continuing business with MTN after this finding risks secondary liability under the ATA if it can be shown that they provided substantial assistance to if MTN is ever found liable for terrorism-related harms (which it hasn’t been),” continues Katsos. “This could include supply chain providers, professional services firms, or technology companies.”

The risks also include reputational risks.

“Any time you have a company that relies on its reputation,” notes Breinholt, “there is a risk of harming that reputation by meddling with companies accused of engaging with terrorists.” Breinholt cautions that the legal and reputational risks vary by sector. This is because plaintiffs tend to target the “deep pockets” when it comes to ATA cases, such as financial services companies and social media companies.

Aside from the risks, there are also ethical concerns.

“From a business ethics perspective, continued partnership – absent rigorous due diligence and robust mitigation measures – could imply complicity in or willful ignorance of alleged misconduct,” maintains Katsos. “Firms must now consider whether their relationships uphold standards of human rights due diligence and responsible business conduct, particularly under frameworks like the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and in certain markets.”

Corporate Responses

Multinational corporations in the MTN partner ecosystem appear to be somewhat hesitant in responding to questions about managing the risks arising from their business relationships with the MTN Group. Apple, Bank of New York Mellon, Ericsson, Genesys, IHS Towers, and Microsoft, were provided an opportunity to comment for this report. However, none responded with a comment before filing. Those who are willing to respond tend to be brief in their comments.

A Deloitte representative stressed that Deloitte Africa, not Deloitte US, is part of the MTN Group ecosystem, and “Deloitte US is separate and independent from Deloitte Africa.”

A Mastercard representative sought to clarify that the company wanted “to be clear that our relationship is with MTN Group Fintech, an entity specifically focused on the African continent,” and all of their “activities – including supporting the expansion of digital payments across the continent – are guided by strong governance standards and internal controls.”

An Accenture representative provided the boilerplate response, “Accenture is a global company committed to conducting business responsibly, which includes reviewing where and who we do business with. We are committed to complying with sanctions laws in the jurisdictions in which we operate, including sanctions administered and enforced by the US, UN, and EU. This commitment extends to compliance with Iran-related sanctions.”

According to a Meta spokesperson, “Like many other American companies, we work with MTN Group, the largest mobile provider in Africa. Meta does not have, and has never had, any commercial relationship with MTN’s Iran subsidiary and our work with MTN itself explicitly excludes Iran.”

>>23235869

>>23235871

“US Anti-Terrorism Cases Against [South Africa’s] MTN Group Put Multinationals in Peril” – Part 3

https://www.fpri.org/article/2025/05/us-anti-terrorism-cases-against-mtn-group-put-multinationals-in-peril/

Michael Walsh

May 15, 2025

What does all this mean?

Legal scholars express skepticism about how some multinational corporations frame the terrorism litigation risks associated with their business relationships with MTN Group.

“It is well established that ethically and also in very many legal contexts that companies are responsible for the actions of their subsidiaries and affiliates,” said Michael Santoro, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University.

“Legally, the separation between Deloitte US and Deloitte Africa might offer some insulation, but it does not absolve Deloitte US entirely,“ adds Katsos. “If there is any financial, managerial, or operational entanglement, or if Deloitte US benefits from revenues or reputational capital generated through Deloitte Africa’s work with MTN, plaintiffs could argue contributory involvement; not an easy argument to make by any means and, depending on the facts (which we don’t have as of yet) unlikely to succeed.” Katsos takes a more nuanced stance on Meta. Assuming that Meta excluded MTN Irancell from its strategic partnership with the MTN Group, Katsos says that this “indicates a proactive risk mitigation step that could reduce exposure.” From a purely “legal perspective,” that, in turn, “shows a wariness of potential ATA liability and a deliberate move to avoid facilitating activity connected to sanctioned or high-risk entities.”

From an ethical perspective, Katsos says that it also “signals that Meta is attempting to navigate the complexities of operating in geopolitically sensitive regions while honoring international norms.” However, he cautions. ‘that “may not be sufficient if MTN Group’s broader actions remain problematic (again, yet to be evidenced in court).”

“The parent group, MTN Group, is being sued,” explains Santoro. “As a matter of corporate social responsibility, the parent is ethically and legally responsible for its subsidiaries and affiliates. This is not a close or complicated case in this regard. If the facts as alleged are true, then the reputational risks of MTN strategic partnerships extends to relations with the parent.”

Generally speaking, Katsos is of the opinion that it is essential to draw a distinction between business relationships established before and after 28 September 2023.

“Legally, companies that entered into partnerships after the Zobay order may face greater exposure,” observes Katsos. That is because that “ruling establishes a clearer line of foreseeability: it would be difficult for a post-September 2023 partner to argue ignorance of potential ATA implications.”

Either way, Katsos argues that multinational corporations in the MTN partner ecosystem should treat corporate disclosure of the risks associated with the MTN terrorism litigation as “essential from both a fiduciary and ethical perspective.” That is because shareholders “have a right to know the risk exposure of ongoing business activities – especially when those activities could result in litigation, regulatory action, or reputational damage.”

>>23235869

>>23235871

>>23235873

“US Anti-Terrorism Cases Against [South Africa’s] MTN Group Put Multinationals in Peril” – Part 4

https://www.fpri.org/article/2025/05/us-anti-terrorism-cases-against-mtn-group-put-multinationals-in-peril/

Michael Walsh

May 15, 2025

Important Questions

The MTN terrorism litigation raises novel corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues that Katsos says revolve “around indirect complicity in conflict zones.”

“Traditionally, CSR has focused on direct violations (e.g., labor practices, environmental harm),” emphasizes Katsos, but “the MTN case underscores the evolving expectation that firms must consider how their business relationships affect peace, security, and human rights in fragile regions.”

The MTN terrorism litigation also carries serious implications for national security, foreign policy, and trade and investment interests of the United States.

“The average American should care for two reasons,” Katsos said.

One is because their retirement funds, pensions, or consumer dollars may be invested in companies that – knowingly or unknowingly – support enterprises allegedly linked to armed groups or terrorism.

Another is because the alleged conduct “undermines US foreign policy goals by damaging America’s international reputation, which (was) the same primary justifications for passage of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which had been (up until recently) one of the best examples of America’s moral leadership in international business.”

“Very few Americans are aware of these lawsuits,” said Santoro. “If the facts alleged turn out to be true,” Santoro says, that US companies that are in strategic partnerships with MTN Group “will have a lot of explaining to do. Both ethically and in regard to the effect on their shareholders.”

In the short term, media coverage of the MTN terrorism litigation could also impact the debate over Ramaphosa’s appointment of Jonas as Special Envoy to the United States, potentially leading shareholders to demand that multinational corporations justify their business relationships with the MTN Group.

MTN Group was contacted for comment, and a company representative responded, “As the legal matter you referenced is ongoing, MTN Group will not be participating in interviews at this time.”

>>23235869

>>23235871

>>23235873

>>23235875

“Stefanik Demands BNY Mellon Provide Transparency over Troubling Ties to Iranian-Linked Terrorist Organizations”

https://stefanik.house.gov/2025/6/stefanik-demands-bny-mellon-provide-transparency-over-troubling-ties-to-iranian-linked-terrorist-organizations

June 11, 2025

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, House Republican Leadership Chairwoman Elise Stefanik issued a letter to Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) demanding transparency concerning its sponsorship of the South African telecommunications company MTN Group through its American Depository Receipts (ADR) program, which has ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the facilitation of funding and support for Iranian state-sponsored terrorism.

Grave national security concerns stem from MTN Group’s 49 percent ownership of Iran Cell, Iran’s largest mobile operator, which U.S. authorities and courts link directly to terrorist activities that resulted in the injury and death of American servicemembers and civilians.

Chairwoman Stefanik wrote, "I write to you regarding deeply troubling and well-documented concerns about The Bank of New York Mellon’s (BNY Mellon) sponsorship of the South African telecommunications company MTN Group through its American Depository Receipts (ADR) program. As the number one global depository bank by number of sponsored ADR programs, and custodian of over $341 billion in ADR assets, BNY Mellon occupies a critical gatekeeping role that carries significant responsibility to uphold the integrity of U.S. financial markets and national security interests."

Stefanik continued, "Recent reports and ongoing litigation have revealed MTN Group’s extensive ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the facilitation of funding and support for Iranian-sponsored terrorism. MTN Group owns 49% of Iran Cell, Iran’s largest mobile operator, which U.S. authorities and courts have linked directly to terrorist activities that resulted in the injury and death of American servicemembers and civilians. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York recently affirmed claims against MTN under the Anti-Terrorism Act, marking a significant legal precedent confirming MTN’s complicity."

Stefanik added, "Furthermore, MTN’s long-time chairman and current South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has amassed significant personal wealth through his association with the company. Ramaphosa’s government has aggressively opposed Israel following the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7, 2023, including filing genocide accusations against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ). South Africa’s increasing alignment with Iran, an avowed sponsor of terrorism and antisemitism, poses profound ethical and geopolitical questions. The country’s diplomatic, ideological, and financial ties to Iran, including signing two memorandum of understanding with Hamas and support for Iran’s nuclear ambitions, exacerbate these concerns."

Stefanik said, "BNY Mellon’s role as a major strategic partner enabling U.S. pension funds, government entities, and other American investors to invest in MTN Group through your ADR program directly exposes the American public to financially propping up a company complicit in funding terrorism and antisemitic activities. This exposure is unacceptable and demands urgent corrective action."

Stefanik continued, “The United States must continue to ensure strict sanctions enforcement on the Iranian regime and prevent American financial institutions and investors from unwittingly funding terror networks. BNY Mellon must be held accountable to the highest standards of transparency, compliance, and ethical responsibility. I stand ready to work with you and relevant oversight bodies to ensure these urgent matters are addressed promptly and comprehensively."

Read the full letter here;

https://files.constantcontact.com/81b76c35801/0501cd44-f55d-4483-a74b-be213c3261c2.pdf?_gl=1*16vvvik*_ga*MTg1MTM5OTMxOC4xNzQ5NjUwODAx*_ga_14T5LGLSQ3*czE3NDk2NTc0NzQkbzIkZzEkdDE3NDk2NTc1MTIkajIyJGwwJGgw

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“Hamas’ South African Support Network” 1 of 2

https://www.fdd.org/analysis/op_eds/2024/03/01/hamas-south-african-support-network/

March 1, 2024

South Africa does not just carry waterfor Hamas by attacking Israel in international forums. It has also allowed Hamas to turn South Africa into a base for fundraising, where an extensive network of front organizations builds support for terrorism. Washington has stepped up its efforts to impose sanctions on Hamas’s foreign enablers, but its South African support network has escaped the consequences so far.

At the center of Hamas’s South African web of support is the Muslim cleric Ebrahim Gabriels, also known as Ibrahim Jibril. Gabriels, a leader within the South African Muslim community, has founded, directed, and currently directs several Muslim organizations tied to Hamas. These include the South African branches of theAl-Quds International Foundation (AQIF), theAl-Aqsa Foundation (AAF), and the Muslim Judicial Council(MJC).

The Al-Quds Foundation (AQF) is the South African branch of the AQIF, which the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned in 2012 and features several senior Hamas leaders on its board. Gabriels spoke at the South African AQF’s opening ceremony in 2006 and serves as its president.

For their support of Hamas, the Treasury has also sanctioned the Al-Aqsa Foundation and its South African branch, an institution for which Gabriels has served as the chairman of the board. Two banks in South Africa froze the foundation’s accounts in 2013 because of AAF’s sanctions designation.

Gabriels has spent over two decades building support for Hamas. In 2004, as MJC president, Gabriels organized a protest march at which he said, “Hamas is not a terrorist group” and that the MJC supported Hamas “100 percent.” The Union of Good, a charity umbrella group the U.S. Treasury Department designated in 2008 for funding Hamas, listed Gabriels in 2004 as a board member. The MJC, listed as a Union of Good member, frequently co-hosts events with AQF, including a 2015welcome rally in South Africa for Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.

On October 8, 2023, one day after Hamas massacred 1,200 Israelis, AAF’s South African branch held an eventin “support of Palestine and Masjid Al-Aqsa,” a reference to the mosque that sits atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. At the event, the MJC’sfirst deputy president offered “solidarity and support to our brothers and our sisters in Hamas.” Gabriels, an MJC leader, praised Hamas ghters as “people who are connected to Allah.”

Gabriels also met Hamas officials in Damascus in 2009, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh inGaza in 2011, politburo members Mohammad Nazzal and Maher Obeid inSouth Africa in 2017, and was part of a small group that welcomed a Hamas delegation to South Africa in 2015. A 2021 Arabiclanguage biography of Hamas leader Mousa Abu Marzouk, based on interviews with Abu Marzouk himself, named Ebrahim Gabriels and an associate as Abu Marzouk’s gateway to South Africa’s Muslim community.

While Gabriels is a pivotal gure, South Africa’s Hamas problem goes much deeper. Besides the MJC, on its website in 2003, the Union of Good named sixteen other South African organizations as part of this Hamas funding network [https://www.terrorism-info.org.il/Data/pdf/PDF1/FEB22_05_680981780.pdf]. None are under any sanctions.

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“Hamas’ South African Support Network” 2 of 2

https://www.fdd.org/analysis/op_eds/2024/03/01/hamas-south-african-support-network/

March 1, 2024

Pretoria has long been a friend of Hamas. South Africa was one of few countries to invite Hamas for talks following the terrorist group’s victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006. Pretoria also hosted Hamas delegations in 2015, 2018, and even in 2023, amid the war Hamas launched on Israel. On the day of Hamas’s killing spree, South Africa’s foreign ministry said, “The new conagration has arisen from from the continued illegal occupation of Palestine land, continued settlement expansion, desecration of the Al Aqsa mosque and Christian holy sites, and ongoing oppression of the Palestinian people.” A week later, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa donned a kafyeh and framed Hamas’s atrocities as a response to an “oppressive government that has occupied their land.” On October 17, Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor called Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh to discuss how to deliver aid to the Hamas-controlled territory.

Washington clearly has its work cut out for it. To begin, U.S. president Joe Biden should tell his South African counterpart in no uncertain terms that the United States expects Pretoria to take action against the terror fronts residing within its borders. South Africa’s Targeted Financial Sanctions list is based on the United Nations Security Council’s (UNSC’s) list of proscribed entities and individuals. Pretoria should expand its list to obvious terrorist groups such as Hamas. If Pretoria fails to act, the administration should review South Africa’s eligibility for theAfrican Growth and Opportunity Act’s (AGOA) duty-free arrangement, which requires participating countries not to “undermine U.S. national security or foreign policy interests.”

However, the White House should not wait for Pretoria to act first. While the Treasury sanctioned the Al-Aqsa Foundation’s South African branch, it fell short of designating the Al-Quds Foundation of South Africa. Other glaring omissions include Gabriels himself and the MJC. Gabriels is the epicenter of Hamas funding and support in South Africa. Sanctioning him and his organizations will help dry up the funds that enabled the October 7 massacre.

“Dr Imtiaz Sooliman on Palestine, South Africa, Gift of the Givers // The Corder Report”

https://youtu.be/MomrSCjgRSw

Jun 25, 2025

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman is the leaders of Gift Of Givers, one of the worlds foremost disaster relief organisations that provide aid across South Africa and the world, including in Gaza. We were lucky enough to sit down with him to discuss the organisation, the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and South Africa's case at the ICJ.

3:10 – “So we are deeply blessed in South Africa to have Gift of the Givers and its work. We spoke on the TV show on Monday about how grateful the government is for the work that you guys do. How Gift of the Givers is truly the group that nobody messes with because whether it’s the police, government, community, people love you guys, want you there and appreciate the work you do.”

3:39 – “We’ve intervened in 47 countries from ’92 to now… Right now we have permanent offices in Zimbabwe, Malawi, Somalia, Yemen. We’re expanding now in West Africa and Mali. We have offices in Turkey, Syria, Gaza, West Bank, and Yemen. But from there, we can launch interventions in any part of the world… In Gaza, of course, we were there from 2009. We actually got involved in Palestine for the first time in 2002. That was a time that Aziz Pahad Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs that time… was invited to meet Yasser Arafat in his compound. He asked me to come with and we arranged medical equipment… When the war happened in 2009, it’s the first time we deployed a team. A medical team… about 40 of us went into Gaza itself… In 2013, we then decided to set up a permanent office. In 2014, the war came again and again we intervened with medical teams but this time we were blocked only 10 could go and not 40 and from then onwards we’ve had a permanent presence which has been expanding… My team members have lost 210 people.”

14:30 – “Tonight actually, you are hosting a Palestinian photojournalist, Tell us a little bit about that photojournalist?… I don’t know anything about him but he was brought into the country by Al Jazeera… Belal Khaled. He documented 300 days of genocide from the first day from October 8th… I was told about him and I said, let me host him because he’s got very striking pictures and he’s got a video.”

23:25 – “400 000 South Africans came back to the country and what did they say? They said we’re coming back with skills, with money and a desire to change the future of our country for the better.”

26:54 – “I got Belal Khaled to do a presentation to the ICJ team and to the partners they use in the UK, they were all online. So it was just… a confirmation of what they did was correct.”

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>“I got Belal Khaled to do a presentation to the ICJ team and to the partners they use in the UK, they were all online. So it was just… a confirmation of what they did was correct.”

“Belal Khaled Tour Press briefing at Nelson Mandela Foundation, Johannesburg.”

https://youtu.be/i0oAE4ZKVb0

Streamed live on Jun 20, 2025

“Belal Khaled’s photographs bring the horror of life in Gaza to Johannesburg”

https://groundup.org.za/article/exhibition-shows-haunting-images-of-the-war-through-the-lens-of-palestinian-photojournalist-belal-khaled/

25 June 2025

The haunting image of a Palestinian father holding the feet of his lifeless three-year-old son, killed in an Israeli airstrike, is among photographs taken in Gaza by photojournalist and artist Belal Khaled shown in Johannesburg.

The child’s face is out of the shot, his tiny foot in his father’s hand and his body covered by a white shroud.

An exhibition of Khaled’s work was shown in Ormonde, Johannesburg at the weekend.

In another image, a Palestinian girl carries her two white cats when her family is displaced by Israeli bombing.

In another photo Abdullah Al-Jouf kisses his child’s body after their home was bombed. Khaled told GroundUp that Al-Jouf had explained that he had gone to the shop and returned to find that his home had been bombed. His wife and child had been killed.

“When I saw him, he was talking to his dead child,” he said.

“He was telling him that he brought him his favourite biscuits. He placed the biscuits in the shroud with his child’s body and told him to take them with him to heaven,” said Khaled.

Khaled was born in a refugee camp in Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. When he was ten, he witnessed the second Intifada, a popular uprising against the Israeli occupation.

He said he was inspired by powerful images of the killing of 12-year-old Muhammad al-Durrah. “From that point I dreamt of being a photojournalist, of delivering the stories of Gaza’s people to the world,” said Khaled.

Khaled said that because Israel was targeting journalists, many of his colleagues had moved out of their homes to protect their families from airstrikes.

“Many of my colleagues have been killed. Why? Because they are carrying a camera and delivering the truth to the world,” alleged Khaled.

In the first month of the conflict Khaled’s family home was bombed, injuring his mother and sister. A few months later, their home was completely destroyed. His father still lives in a tent pitched on the rubble where their home once stood.

“This is part of our resistance as Palestinians. I can fight with my camera, I can fight with my paintbrush, this is the same for all Palestinians. We are fighting with all our souls,” said Khaled.

“I always say that journalists in Gaza have two eyes. One is for seeing and documenting, and the other is for crying for everything that we see,” said Khaled.

Khaled’s work will be shown at the Bo Kaap Cultural Hub on Wednesday, 25 June in Cape Town. It can also be found on his Instagram page @belalkh.

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>We’ve intervened in 47 countries from ’92 to now

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“Allegations of Antisemitism and Terrorism Connections Against Gift of the Givers Founder Imtiaz Sooliman”

https://www.satorinews.com/articles/2025-01-12/allegations-of-antisemitism-and-terrorism-connections-against-gift-of-the-givers-founder-imtiaz-sooliman-538192

Published January 12, 2025

South African humanitarian organization, Gift of the Givers, is under scrutiny as its founder, Imtiaz Sooliman, faces serious allegations including antisemitism, endorsing terrorism, and lack of financial transparency. Founded in the early 90s, the organization initially gained recognition for its philanthropic efforts both locally and internationally. However, Sooliman’s recent statements and affiliations have cast a long shadow over his and the organization's credibility.

Critics argue that Sooliman's rhetoric has been inflammatory, particularly towards Israel. Instances such as Sooliman's participation in marches with known Hamas, ISIS, and Hezbollah supporters, and statements echoing extremist sentiments have fueled these allegations. His public declaration of "We are all Hamas" on October 5, 2024, alongside his disregard for international and human laws, citing adherence exclusively to Koranic law, has provoked international concern.

Moreover, the overlap between the teams and contact points of Gift of the Givers and Al Aqsa International South Africa—a noted financier to Hamas as per international intelligence—substantiates claims of murky financial dealings and associations with terrorist funding bodies like the Union of Good, which the U.S. Treasury has designated as a terrorist funder.

The operational aspects of Gift of the Givers also invite skepticism. Their significant role in Gaza, particularly in healthcare facilities that have been exposed as operational bases for Hamas, implicates the organization in potentially aiding military defenses under the guise of humanitarian aid. This is particularly concerning given the strategic use of such facilities by Hamas to shield their military activities, exploiting the humanitarian label.

The broader implications of these allegations are severe, not only for the integrity and operational legitimacy of Gift of the Givers but also for the broader nonprofit sector in regions of conflict. It raises pressing questions about the oversight of charitable organizations operating in politically sensitive regions.

Despite the growing clamor for clarity and accountability, Sooliman has yet to commit to an independent financial audit that could dispel or confirm these allegations. This refusal only amplifies concerns about the possible diversion of funds for supporting terrorist activities under the cover of humanitarian aid.

The need for transparency is critical, not just for the sake of Gift of the Givers’ reputation, but also for the countless beneficiaries of their aid who might suffer should the organization lose donor support due to these controversies. The international community, donors, and regulatory bodies must push for stringent audits and ensure that humanitarian organizations remain neutral and untainted by political or extremist affiliations.

As it stands, the shadow cast by these serious allegations threatens to undermine the humanitarian efforts of one of South Africa's most well-regarded charities, turning a potential force for good into a questionable entity in the eyes of the world.

Canada #79

Gates Foundation to Commit $1.6 Billion for Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

by Alana Mastrangelo 24 Jun 2025

The Gates Foundation reportedly said on Tuesday that it will commit $1.6 billion to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which seeks to provide poor children around the world with vaccines.

Microsoft cofounder and friend of Jeffrey Epstein, Bill Gates, is claiming the number of kids dying around the world will likely go up this year due to U.S. funding cuts to foreign aid, according to a report by Reuters.

Therefore, the Gates Foundation is committing $1.6 billion over the next five years to support Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, “a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases,” the organization’s website states.

The vaccine alliance is reportedly aiming to raise $9 billion from 2026 to 2030 at an upcoming event, hosted by the European Union and the Gates Foundation, in Brussels on Wednesday.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance CEO Sania Nishtar, claimed that the loss of U.S. taxpayer funding could result in around 1.2 million additional deaths over the next five years.

Earlier this month, Gates announced that the bulk of his $200 billion philanthropic pledge will be directed toward addressing challenges in Africa over the next 20 years.

Last month, the Microsoft cofounder claimed that Tesla CEO Elon Musk will be responsible for “killing the world’s poorest children” through his work leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with rooting out wasteful government spending.

Gates, who claims to be concerned about “global health,” continued his fearmongering in an interview with Reuters, where he claimed “the last 25 years” — which notably included the Chinese coronavirus pandemic — have “been miraculous.”

The next “four years” or “six years” will involve “funding cuts from a number of countries, including the U.S.,” the tech billionaire insisted.

Gates continued scaremongering, adding, “And the number of deaths will start going up for the first time — they went down from around ten million to less than five million, and now, you know, it’s going to be millions of more deaths because of the resources.”

“If you zoom out, though, and look at the next 20 years, I think governments will come back to caring about children surviving,” Gates claimed.

https://www.breitbart.com/health/2025/06/24/gates-foundation-to-commit-1-6-billion-for-gavi-the-vaccine-alliance/

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>That order carries political implications for President Cyril Ramaphosa, who served as the MTN Chairman of the Board from 2002 to 2013.

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>Furthermore, MTN’s long-time chairman and current South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has amassed significant personal wealth through his association with the company.

“Rhamaposa slammed for Shanduka, MTN conflict” (2012)

https://businesstech.co.za/news/telecommunications/27581/rhamaposa-slammed-for-shanduka-mtn-conflict/

30 Nov 2012

Cyril Ramaphosa‘s ties to the Shanduka Mauritius purchase of a minority stake in MTN Nigera has been described as “pushing the envelope” of the tycoon’s position as chairman of both holding companies.

Ramaphosa has become the center of controversy over an alleged conflict of interest present in his investment company, Shanduka’s acquisition of a “minority stake” in MTN Nigeria.

On 28 November, Shanduka Group, a company founded and chaired Ramaphosa, paid $335 million for a stake in MTN’s Nigerian business.

The acquisition of the “minority stake” had been purchased through Shanduka Telecommunication (Mauritius), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Shanduka group.

Rhamaphosa has now become a matter of media attention in the deal, as sitting as chairman for both parties in the transaction – MTN Group and Shanduka group – poses an alleged conflict of interest, bringing the transaction into question.

Speaking to 702, the institute of directors of Southern Africa CEO, Ansie Ramalho, explained that the alleged conflict of interest is technically legal and above board according to South Africa’s Companies Act.

“The presence of a conflict of interest does not necessarily taint a transaction in terms of corporate governance – nor is it unlawful,” Ramalho said.

However, outspoken chief investment officer at First Avenue Investment Management, Hlelo Giyose, still criticised Ramaphosa and the deal on 702.

“People take for granted how implicit the government is in MTN’s success – in no small part because of him (Ramaphosa) playing political cover for MTN.”

“He’s running a play he has set a long time ago – and he knows it more than anyone else. And that’s not really what you want to teach kids in business schools,” Giyose said.

“We (South Africa) need really good, clean business here.”

Giyose continued, saying that the political climate – where Ramaphosa is pegged as a potential new deputy president of the country – and the Shanduka/MTN deal, is leaving Ramaphosa open to many insinuations.

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>On 28 November, Shanduka Group, a company founded and chaired Ramaphosa, paid $335 million for a stake in MTN’s Nigerian business.

“Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, culpable in MTN Nigeria’s forex scandal?” (2018)

https://www.icirnigeria.org/ramaphosa-president-of-south-africa-culpable-in-mtn-nigerias-forex-scandal/

March 19, 2018

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa could be implicated in the allegation of gross foreign exchange violation against MTN Nigeria, according to an investigation by Finance Uncovered and Amabhungane, investigative websites based in the UK and South Africa respectively.

Ramaphosa, who was sworn in as South Africa’s President in February following the resignation of Jacob Zuma, was MTN’s non-executive Chairman as of the time the violations allegedly took place.

Also, Ramaphosa’s former investment holding company, Shanduka, is among MTN Nigeria’s major shareholders whose names have been mentioned in the forensic audit of billions of dollars which flowed illicitly in and out of Nigeria.

In September 2016, Dino Melaye raised the matter on the floor of the Senate, alleging that MTN had connived with a serving minister to illegally move over $12 billion out of Nigeria in the last decade.

“Between 2006 and 2016, the MTN, in collaboration with four commercial banks and with the help of a serving Minister, moved over $12 billion out of this country,” Melaye claimed

“All hands must be on deck to recover every loot in the country. We are in a precarious situation and now is the time to recover every stolen money in the country.”

MTN denied the allegation. But almost one year before Melaye’s revelation, Premium Times had published a report detailing how MTN Nigeria outwit Nigerian authorities to ship millions of dollars abroad, thereby avoiding paying adequate tax.”

According to a confidential audit report sighted by Finance Uncovered, no allegations of wrongdoing were made against MTN but questions were raised about whether MTN knew that its bankers violated Nigerian laws and that it might even have benefited from this.

South Africa’s Standard Bank, which is also MTN’s major banker, is one of several global banking groups alleged to have “breached” Nigeria’s foreign exchange regulations repeatedly, to the tune of billions of dollars over a period of 15 years.

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“Ramaphosa’s MTN ties fuel Starlink backlash” Part 1

https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-sunday-independent/20250608/281513642101572

8 Jun 2025

GIANT digital communication network service provider, MTN, whose chairperson is South Africa’s special envoy to the US, Mcebisi Jonas, has expressed support for Starlink being licensed to operate in the country.

However, this is only if one of the world’s richest men, Elon Musk's satellite internet service licence, complies with black economic empowerment regulations.

“By providing high-speed, low-latency internet, leveraging LEO [Low Earth Orbit] capabilities could bridge the digital divide, supporting South Africa’s national goals of broader digital inclusion, economic development, and innovation,” said MTN Group Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Ofcer Nompilo Morafo.

MTN advocates for partnerships with LEO communication providers, including Starlink, as these can enhance service resilience, extend reach, and improve customer experience, especially in challenging geographical areas.

“MTN welcomes co-operation and competition in the telecommunications space, provided there is regulatory parity,” said Morafo.

It has been reported that Starlink currently operates in 18 of the 54 countries in Africa, and it would expand to 10 more states before the end of the year.

MTN’s Digital Infrastructure Chief Executive Officer, Mazen Mroué, had, on December 14, 2023, while he was still the group’s chief technology and information ofcer, revealed that there were engagements with SpaceX’s Starlink, with enterprise-grade trials under way in Rwanda and Nigeria.

When asked if those MTN engagements with Starlink had been expanded to involve the latter coming to South Africa, the group said it did not comment on confidential market-specific discussions.

It was reported in 2013 that President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Shanduka Group had paid $335 million for a stake in MTN's Nigerian business.

Soon before being appointed state deputy president, Ramaphosa disinvested from Shanduka to focus on his government responsibilities to avoid a conflict of interest.

Former finance deputy minister Jonas was appointed MTN Group chairperson on June 1, 2018, and on April 14, 2025, Ramaphosa appointed him as his special envoy to the US with the responsibility of advancing South Africa's diplomatic, trade, and bilateral priorities.

This entailed fostering strategic partnerships and engaging with US government officials and private-sector leaders to promote South Africa.

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“Ramaphosa’s MTN ties fuel Starlink backlash” Part 2

https://www.pressreader.com/south-africa/the-sunday-independent/20250608/281513642101572

8 Jun 2025

Ramaphosa led the delegation to Washington to negotiate with Trump on May 21 to save South Africa/US trade agreements and recruit new investors.

The Presidency had listed Jonas as among the delegation, but he did not go due to his business commitments, although he had contributed to the preparation of that meeting.

Before the two leaders held a private meeting at the White House, there was a media brief¬ing in which the issue of genocide and crime was discussed. It was in that brief¬ing that South African billionaire Johann Rupert pleaded with Trump to assist South Africa with modern technology to ght crime and even suggested, in the presence of Musk, that Starlink should come to the country.

The negotiation took place before it was reported that Trump had fired Musk as his senior advisor and Department of Government Efciency head.

When asked if Jonas had in any way participated in negotiations to bring Starlink to the country, Morafo said “no”.

“In his capacity as MTN Group chairperson, Mr Mcebisi Jonas does not participate in operational negotiations relating to Starlink or any other specific vendor or technology partner.

“His responsibilities are focused on providing strategic oversight and governance at the MTN Group level, in line with the role of a non-executive chairperson,” she said.

Communications and Digital Technologies Minister Solly Malatsi raised eyebrows when, on May 23, two days after the White House meeting, issued a statement announcing the relaxation of the B-BBEE Act in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) sector to “allow qualifying multinationals to meet empowerment obligations through alternatives to 30% ownership”. This opened the floodgates of reaction, including from politicians and civil society groups who believed that Malatsi was facilitating the licensing of Starlink by bypassing B-BBEE requirements.

“Ike Khumalo :Why I hate the ANC”

https://youtu.be/slPzsUCPBHo

Jun 26, 2025

"As a young man, Ike Khumalo heeded the call of Oliver Tambo — to rise up and and make apartheid South Africa ungovernable. He was a self-declared klipgooier (stone thrower) , part of the revolution that fought for freedom and celebrated Mandela’s release with hope.

But now, 30 years later, that same freedom fighter feels deeply betrayed. In his words, the ANC has robbed the people, wrecked the country, and broken every promise made in the name of liberation.

This is not just a conversation — it's a reckoning."

23:13 – “So we never thought that we’ll be fighting for things that we had. Everything that the black majority fighting for today are things that we had.”

24:03 – “The mistake what we did is to think that these guys could improve our country coming from exile. Look at these guys, they were in Zambia in exile, Tanzania, moving from one African country to another and those countries were failed states… Where will these guys learn how to administer a country so sophisticated like South Africa?… But they learned corruption in these failed states. Some of them coming from the homelands, they learned corruption. We never thought that there would be tenders, BEE, the state machinery, the institutions will be broken down so that they can empower individual comrades. You go in the streets… people in the streets don’t want BEE, people in the streets want jobs and want to survive.”

43:48 – “Unfortunately, black-on-black for me at this point of time is affecting me the most… The government of the day is black like me, when I walk out here the person shutting down opportunities is black like me. So that’s the problem I am facing. I have a black proble as compared to a white problem. I understand how politics work - the system, the multinationals, globalist - all that… The economy is controlled from somewhere. When I walk out here, the criminal is black like me. The people who stole from my property, broke into my house, they are black like me.”

47:49 – “In South Africa, if all white people left this country, it will be like Zimbabwe within 2 minutes… We’ve seen in the blueprint… All these countries, be it Mozambique, be it Zimbabwe, where white people have left. Look at those countries. Like Donald Trump described them as shit holes. Nothing grows there. So here in South Africa, the infrastructure that we have was built during Apartheid… We are seeing South Africa in real time becoming a failed state.”

1:00:40 – “Let me add these statistics. During Apartheid we counted 7,000 murders annually. Post Apartheid, 30 years later, we count 27,000 murders annually.”

1:06:19 – “During Apartheid, the South Africa army was the best of the best. Today, it’s a laughing stock.”

“What Soros has spoken in 2015”

https://youtu.be/LZCeUov4xhc

Apr 8, 2022

This is an excerpt from what George Soros said in the 2015 “Asian Society” forum. He mentioned that the things what we might feel ridiculous.

0:19 – “My first major effort… was in South Africa but afterwards Eastern Europe when the Soviet Empire collapsed and as the empire collapsed I moved in and picked up the pieces. First in Hungary in 1984 and then Poland and China in ’87 and this is how the Soros Empire was replacing the Soviet Empire.”

1:16 – “Take Russia which is actually where I’m most involved currently and it’s a replay of what we went through at the time of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the big difference is that then you had a moribund Soviet Union and you had an emerging Europian Union. It was the height of the European Union and now you have the reverse. You have a resurgent Russia and unfortunately, a disintegrating European Union and that’s a very sad development but I think the foundation has made a contribution so I consider it a success to be involved and particularly because my main involvement actually is in Ukraine where there is a new Ukraine which is eager to be part of the European Union… actually the people involved, almost everyone of them, had been somehow in contact with the foundation - both inside government and civil society. It’s all people who I meet and they tell me that somebody somehow they are connected. That is very gratifying. So 25 years of work has really paid off. In that sense, it is similar to Myanmar, I think it is more successful if the economic transformation fails then the fallback is to hold power, hold the country together by having some external conflict with obviously China and Japan are set up for that and then you have a very dismal prospect for the world. So I think in the longer term that’s probably the most important political issue and how it works out will influence the history of mankind.”

5:03 – “We are now in a very difficult global situation because you actually have a collapse in global governance. The absence of order leads to disorder so we now have a period of global disorder and that means that crises that used to be settled by some form of international intervention actually don’t get settled. They fester. They accumulate. Then as the numbers grow, each crisis could be settled perhaps on its own but they are all interconnected and the losers in one conflict tend to be the spoilers in the other conflicts and therefore the conflicts don’t get settled.”

6:26 – “If you go back let’s say the Israel-Palestinian conflict is probably one of the longest festering one and they are not any closer to a solution. Then you have Iraq, Syria, Iran, now you have a potential partial solution with the Iranian nuclear issue which could be the beginning of let’s say Iran coming back into the global system but there are very strong forces to want to prevent it both here in the United States and of course Russia.”

>>23245961

>the Soros Empire was replacing the Soviet Empire

Now the American Empire

“Zohran Mamdani’s Radical Islamic Ties and Policies Threatens New Yorker’s Public Safety”

https://loomered.com/2025/06/17/zohran-mamdanis-radical-islamic-ties-and-policies-threatens-new-yorkers-public-safety/

June 17, 2025

New York Assemblymember and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing mounting scrutiny over his ties to extremist-aligned groups and radical Islamic policy proposals. His record raises serious concerns about public safety in New York City. Since 2023, Mamdani has repeatedly introduced the controversial “Not On Our Dime! Act” in the state assembly—legislation aimed at punishing nonprofits that support Israel.

He also played a founding role in Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), an organization with links to pro-Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood ideologies. Mamdani’s endorsements from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, and Bernie Sanders, combined with support from groups tied to the Westchester People’s Action Coalition (WESPAC) and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), highlight an agenda many fear could destabilize the city and threaten its Jewish community.

WESPAC is a key financial backer of both PYM and SJP. This was documented in a report in the United States Congressional Record by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism. WESPAC has also supported Mamdani’s agenda while promoting causes associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The Muslim Brotherhood, whose terrorist designation has been debated in Congress, is cited in official U.S. records as influencing the ideology behind SJP.

According to a NLPC report, WESPAC has received $132,000 from the Tides Foundation, a key handler of George Soros’s Open Society funds, between 2016 and 2022. This financial chain underscores the broader progressive infrastructure backing Mamdani’s rise.

With recent riots involving Hamas sympathizers and “defund ICE” radicals already putting the city on edge, Mamdani’s rise represents a warning. His political network appears less interested in governing New York City, and more interested in turning NYC into a battleground for radical foreign ideologies.

Initial Ford Foundation Bun

>>22979475 Foundation for Human Rights Funded by the Ford Foundation and Others

>>22979492 Ford Foundation and Legal Resource Centres in South Africa

>>22979530 Legal Resources Centre Connections; “Kill the Boer” case, South Africa vs Israel ICJ case, Zondo Commission, Classifying the Chinese as “black people”, South Africa’s Constitution

>>22979868 Arthur Chaskalson (First Constitutional Court President); “Ford Foundation was regarded as a subversive organization by the South African government… seen as an indirect Communist plot (video)

Initial Iran and Israel Bun

>>23172975 “Ramaphosa’s Iran flirtation: How South African military technology and nuclear deals are courting Western sanctions” (video)

>>23203815 “Strengthening Ties: Iran and South Africa Forge Ahead with Multifaceted Collaboration” (video)

>>23203818 “The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Pretoria Presents Credentials to the President of Mozambique”

>>23203851 Iran also supports Hamas and Hezbollah

>>23203862 “South Africa condemns Israeli attacks on Iran”

>>23203866 “Statement by the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Pretoria”

>>23203893 “Explainer: How can Iran help South Africa advance its civilian nuclear program?”

>>23221289, >>23221291 “The Iranian Project: Goals and Consequences” (video)

>>23231064 South Africa calls on the United States, Israel, and Iran to give the United Nations the opportunity and space to lead on the peaceful resolution

>>23231271 We won’t be silent as apartheid is perpetrated against others’ – South Africa (video)

>>23237193, >>23237198 Hamas’ South African Support Network (Parts 1&2)

>>23237242 Allegations of Antisemitism and Terrorism Connections Against Gift of the Givers Founder Imtiaz Sooliman

>>23245970, >>23245973 Zohran Mamdani’s Radical Islamic Ties and Policies Threatens New Yorker’s Public Safety

Initial Maximum Group Bun

>>23053984 Maximum Group CEO Slaven Gajovic Joins the Exclusive Gauteng Investment Conference

>>23053991 Maximum Group companies and interests

>>23053992 About Slaven Gajović

>>23053998 Dan Tloome housing project in the spotlight yet again

>>23054004, >>23054011 Farm2ForkZA’s Post

Initial MTN Group Bun

>>23235871 US Anti-Terrorism Cases Against [South Africa’s] MTN Group Put Multinationals in Peril – Part 1

>>23235871 US Anti-Terrorism Cases Against [South Africa’s] MTN Group Put Multinationals in Peril – Part 2

>>23235873 US Anti-Terrorism Cases Against [South Africa’s] MTN Group Put Multinationals in Peril – Part 3

>>23235875 US Anti-Terrorism Cases Against [South Africa’s] MTN Group Put Multinationals in Peril – Part 4

>>23235880 Stefanik Demands BNY Mellon Provide Transparency over Troubling Ties to Iranian-Linked Terrorist Organizations

>>23240068 Rhamaposa slammed for Shanduka, MTN conflict (2012)

>>23240084 Ramaphosa, president of South Africa, culpable in MTN Nigeria’s forex scandal? (2018)

>>23240215 Ramaphosa’s MTN ties fuel Starlink backlash Part 1

>>23240233 Ramaphosa’s MTN ties fuel Starlink backlash Part 2

Initial Cyril Ramaphosa Bun

>>22978052 Cyril Ramaphosa’s Lonmin tax-dodge headache

>>22978061 Cyril Ramaphosa: from Lonmin mining massacre to President

>>23028370, >>23028373 Ramaphosa to meet Trump, says 49 Afrikaners headed to US are not ‘refugees (Parts 1&2)

>>23050703 Ramaphosa's US Visit: Steenhuisen joins delegation 'to save AGOA

>>23065124, >>23063152 President Trump Hosts South African President Ramaphosa In The Oval Office (video)

>>23205000 “Ramaphosa Says Apartheid's to Blame for Slow Progress!” (video)

Initial Rheinmetall and Denel Bun

>>23166956, >>23172162 About Denel Overberg Test Range: A Global Defence Technology Company

>>23171110 Germany's Rheinmetall to supply 155mm artillery shells to foreign customer amid global demand

>>23171125, >>23171129, >>23171132 Arming the world: Rheinmetall’s secretive ammunition factory program (Parts 1-3)

>>23171154 #LadyRussiagate: Denel denies any involvement in supplying weapons to Russia

>>23171172, >>23171178 A Question of Transparency: Rheinmetall, South Africa and allegations of indirect arms transfers (Parts 1&2)

>>23172162 Republic of South Africa SEC Listing

>>23172180 Deutsche Bank backs state guarantees for arms industry loans

>>23172329 “Deutsche Bank Linked To Auschwitz Funding” and Rheinmetall; “Forced labor in the Nazi state”

Initial Reverse Apartheid Bun

>>23231105, 23231111 The Hypocrisy of the United Nations (video)

>>23231115, >>23231118 Architects of the Slow War against White South Africans (Parts 1&2)

>>23231128 SA's New Race-Based Hiring Quotas explained in 5 Minutes (video)

>>23231146 3rd Wave BEE: The Next Attack on Private Business (video)

Initial Violence and Crime Bun

>>22978036 Marikana Massacre | Amcu President Joseph Mathunjwa addresses the gathering”; “Mineral energy complex… is the genesis of all social evil in South Africa (video)

>>22978041 Press Release: Lonmin, the Marikana Massacre and the Bermuda Connection

>>22978070 The Stilfontein Massacre: State Violence in Defense of Corporate Mining Interests

>>22978079 The Rise in Class Action Lawsuits against Mining ‘Powerhouses’ in South Africa

>>22978149 Clash of Spears: Unraveling the Tribal Conflicts in South Africa

>>22978231 3 Indian-Origin students in South Africa injured in racist attack (video)

>>22978236 What's fuelling tensions between Black and Indian South Africans? (video)

>>22979456 South Africa to probe alleged suppression of justice in apartheid-era killings (video)

>>23204994 “My family suffered 2 farm attacks, on 2 different farms in South Africa, a decade apart. No justice” (video)

Notables are NOT Endorsements

coming up on 150

#14

>>22978090 Freedom Day 2025: Acting President Gwede Mantashe reflects on democracy in keynote address (video)

>>22978097, >>22978099, >>2278104 Orania: South Africa’s most functional town - or its most misunderstood? (Parts 1-3)

>>22978147 Self-Determination, International Law and the South African Bantustan Policy

>>23010307 (Canada #76) The long-forgotten concert that helped defeat Hitler – and it didn’t happen in Moscow

>>23025008 (Canada #76) Magatte Wade, Why African leaders allow climate activists to keep their countries in poverty

>>23028382 Koffi M. KOUAKOU: South Africa – Scenario Planning, Foresight, Strategic Communications, Media Sociology and Psyhcology

>>23050770 John Steenhuisen and the Gdansk Agreement

>>23053976 BEE Under Fire: Why South Africa’s Social Engineering Project Faces Unprecedented Attacks

>>23063158 Johann Rupert - The man that "controls" South Africa (video)

>>23074616 (Canada #77) UK Welcomes South African Activist Who Chants About Killing White Farmers

>>23081447 (General Research #2815) China Doesn't Have The Economic Strength To Save South Africa

>>23203824 “Financial Networks in South Africa Allegedly Funneling Funds to ISIS”

>>23203841 “South Africa: A safe haven for terrorist financing”

>>23226151 Stolen Ground: The Tygerberg Raceway story — Who’s really behind the land grabs in South Africa? (video)

>>23228463 (Canada #78) A Quiet Grip On Africa

>>23237725 (Canada #79) Gates Foundation to Commit $1.6 Billion for Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance

>>23244627 Ike Khumalo : Why I hate the ANC (video)

>>23245961 What Soros has spoken in 2015 (video)

>>23246557 Initial Ford Foundation Bun

>>23246560 Initial Iran and Israel Bun

>>23246562 Initial Maximum Group Bun

>>23246565 Initial MTN Group Bun

>>23246568 Initial Cyril Ramaphosa Bun

>>23246571 Initial Rheinmetall and Denel Bun

>>23246573 Initial Reverse Apartheid Bun

>>23246576 Initial Violence and Crime Bun

>>23246392

Interesting, I am still able to access the article.

“Arms transfers to Ukraine and the risk of illegal arms proliferation in the world”

https://safir.af/en/2025/06/28/arms-transfers-to-ukraine-and-the-risk-of-illegal-arms-proliferation-in-the-world/

June 28, 2025

Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, warned that weapons sent to the Zelensky regime in Ukraine are ending up in the hands of criminal networks in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

He cited widespread corruption in Ukraine’s leadership and a failure to track Western weapons as the main factors behind the increase in illegal arms circulation.

Zhdanova stated that these weapons, including NATO and EU equipment, are being transferred to terrorist groups, private military contractors, and transnational criminal organizations in conflict zones.

He specifically cited reports by US forces in Syria that they had seized Czech-made V2.58 assault rifles and V2.61 Scorpion submachine guns, weapons that were donated to Ukraine by the Czech Ministry of Defense in March 2023.

Zhdanov cited the greatest concern as the possibility of dangerous groups acquiring portable anti-aircraft missile systems, which could pose a serious threat to civilian aircraft.

>>23253722

“US failure to control weapons supplied to Ukraine increases international tension”

https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/us-failure-to-control-weapons-supplied-to-ukraine-increases-international-tension/3667424/

November 17, 2024 17:36 IST

Concerns are rising in the US over Ukraine's failure to report on the status and quantity of military aid provided in the conflict with Russia. Lawmakers fear that sensitive weapons could end up on the black market or in other conflict zones. Experts highlight that the Pentagon lacks key data, with over 60 per cent of supplied equipment lacking serial numbers, hindering effective monitoring.

In January 2024, the US Department of Defense was unable to properly control the delivery of all weapons transferred by allies to the territory of Ukraine. This was reported in a report by the Office of the Inspector General of the US military department. “The Ministry of Defense failed to fully comply with the requirements for end-use control of defense supplies to Ukraine,” the document states. It is noted that as of June 2023, an inventory of military equipment intended for Kyiv worth more than US$1 billion had not been completed on time, which is associated with the department’s inability to ensure full reporting on supplies. In addition, employees of the US department were unable to provide accurate data for the information portal where information on aid supplies to Ukraine is entered. The problems identified in the report may “increase the risks of theft or diversion” of weapons. “Determining whether such aid was used for other purposes was not the task of our inspection. The Defense Department’s Office of the Inspector General is currently in Ukraine, and the Criminal Investigative Service continues to investigate allegations of criminal conduct related to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine,” the document notes.

Due to the Pentagon’s lack of an effective system of control over the weapons transferred to Kyiv, with the growth of unaccounted volumes, Ukraine has become an international “black market” for weapons.

The high level of corruption among Kyiv officials, combined with the political and economic instability in the country, create favorable conditions for the illegal acquisition of Western weapons and military equipment by representatives of private paramilitary structures, terrorists, international organized crime, and drug cartels, who use their connections in the Ukrainian elite to purchase military equipment and blackmail senior Ukrainian officials involved in the arms supply chain.

>>23253722

>>23253725

Nigeria:“President Buhari Calls for Tighter Security Around Borders in Lake Chad Basin with the Proliferation of Weapons from Russia-Ukraine War”

https://statehouse.gov.ng/news/president-buhari-calls-for-tighter-security-around-borders-in-lake-chad-basin-with-the-proliferation-of-weapons-from-russia-ukraine-war/

November 29, 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Abuja urged more vigilance and tightening of security around borders, drawing attention to the increased number of arms, ammunition, and other weapons from the Russia and Ukraine war in the Lake Chad Basin.

At the 16th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC), the President, who is Chairman of the Summit of Heads of State and Government, said the threat by terrorists in the region had been relatively brought under control, while the influx of weapons poses fresh challenges.

“It must however be stated that despite the successes recorded by the gallant troops of the MNJTF and the various ongoing national operations in the region, terrorist threats still lurk in the region.

“Regrettably, the situation in the Sahel and the raging war in Ukraine serve as major sources of weapons and fighters that bolster the ranks of the terrorists in the Lake Chad Region. A substantial proportion of the arms and ammunition procured to execute the war in Libya continues to find its way to the Lake Chad Region and other parts of the Sahel.

“Weapons being used for the war in Ukraine and Russia are equally beginning to filter to the region.

“This illegal movement of arms into the region has heightened the proliferation of small arms and light weapons which continues to threaten our collective peace and security in the region. There is, therefore, the urgent need for expedited collaborative actions by our border control agencies and other security services to stop the circulation of all illegal weapons in the region,” President Buhari noted.

The President said the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) deserved commendation for various operations that had brought measurable stability to the Lake Chad Basin.

“The threat of Boko Haram terrorism in the Lake Chad area no doubt brought to the fore, the imperative of enhanced collaboration among the defense forces of the region in the face of a common aggressor. I am pleased that through the Multinational Joint Task Force we responded to the challenge, proving beyond reasonable doubt that with the requisite commitment and determination, the region can solve its challenges in the best ways possible.

>>23253730

>>23240084

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu replaced President Muhammadu Buhari

https://www.dw.com/en/who-is-nigerias-new-president-bola-tinubu/a-64851330

05/29/2023 May 29, 2023

Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come out victorious in the Nigeria's highly disputed presidential election. Who is this veteran politician and why is he widely regarded as a kingmaker and "godfather"?

Tinubu is to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari, a former general who has served the maximum two terms allowed by Nigeria's constitution. Buhari is due to step down on May 29.

Sometimes referred to as the political "godfather", Tinubu has been known for exerting power from behind the scenes and using his extensive network to back candidates for office.

Tinubu's support also helped outgoing leader Muhammadu Buhari win two terms in office, in 2015 and 2019.

During the 2019 election, a bullion van was seen entering Tinubu's residence on Bourdillion Road in the affluent Lagos neighborhood of Ikoyi. Tinubu responded with the statement: "I keep money anywhere I want."

Since stepping down as Lagos governor in 2007, Tinubu has picked every subsequent winning candidate.

Tinubu is believed to be one of Nigeria's richest politicians but the source of his wealth is unknown. The political kingmaker has interests in a number of business ventures, from media and aviation to tax consultancy, hotels, and real estate holdings.

The president-elect has been accused of corruption, money laundering, and operating more than a dozen foreign bank accounts but was never charged and denies wrongdoing.

Tinubu's health has also come into question. At times he appeared frail and with a slurred speech on the campaign trail, but he has repeatedly dismissed any concerns about his health.

Once he takes up his position as president in June, Tinubu is expected to deal with a long list of problems including that of security, a currency crisis, fuel and power shortages, and deeply entrenched corruption.

https://www.blackpast.org/global-african-history/bola-ahmed-tinubu-1952/

June 27, 2025

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the current President of Nigeria, was born into a Yoruba family in Osun State on March 29, 1952. After early schooling in Nigeria, he pursued higher education in the United States, studying at Richard J. Daley College and subsequently Chicago State University, where he excelled academically, graduating with honors in Accounting in 1979. His professional life in the corporate sector, including significant stints at Arthur Andersen, a major accounting firm, and Mobil Oil Nigeria.

>>23253730

>>23253741

>>23253773

>>23246565

“MTN execs discuss structural reforms with President Bola”

https://itweb.africa/article/mtn-execs-discuss-structural-reforms-with-president-bola/wbrpOqg25nDMDLZn

09 Dec 2024

The MTN Nigeria delegation, led by Group President and CEO Ralph Mupita, Chairman of Nigerian Operations Ernest Ndukwe, and CEO Karl Olutokun Toriola, recently met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to discuss issues of common interest.

Though little was shared after the meeting, it is widely known that the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria is requesting controlled pricing adjustments from the country's communications regulator.