Johannesburg | Tuesday
JUBILEE SA on Monday reiterated its call for the cancellation of debts incurred by the apartheid government, following reports that Switzerland entered into a bilateral agreement with South Africa in 1986.
According to weekend reports in Switzerland, apartheid-era chemical and biological warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson collaborated with former Swiss secret service chief Peter Regli.
Basson is currently standing trial on a number of charges ranging from murder, and fraud, to drug trafficking.
Swiss journalist Jean-Philippe Ceppi, once arrested in Cape Town by South African police for possession of confidential Truth and Reconciliation Commission documents, broke the news of a secret 1986 bilateral agreement between the Swiss and South African governments.
According to Jubilee SA, the existence of the agreement was confirmed by Chris Thirion, a former South African secret service general.
”Our repeated calls for apartheid debt cancellation and reparations from Switzerland are today (Monday) being justified publicly”, the organisation, which lobbies for third world debt cancellation, said in a statement.
Jubilee SA said the extent of Swiss support for the apartheid government was not yet clear.
”A comprehensive investigation with access to all relevant Swiss and South African archives, including the archives of financial institutions that propped up apartheid, is urgently required.”
The organisation said several South African groups were preparing a ”class action reparations suits against Swiss banks and businesses, with the assistance of American attorneys”.
”We have made no firm decision about reparations suits, neither have we appointed any legal counsel in this regard.
”However, reparations are a major concern for popular organisations across Africa and we are currently in a process of consultation about what course of action to take to secure reparations”. – Sapa