Johannesburg | Sunday
JUBILEE South Africa’s National Executive Committee on Saturday resolved to pursue reparation claims against Switzerland, German, British, United States of America, and South Africa.
In a meeting in Johannesburg, the committee vowed to undertake legal actions against the countries if they were not co-operative on the matter.
”We would hope that the process does not lead to that (legal action) because our interest in the matter is with integrity to understand the truth and to promote the interests of justice,” committee representative Neville Gabriel said on Saturday.
He said the committee was demanding the cancellation of debt and compensation for profit made ”unjustly”.
In the case of South Africa, the committee held the private sector liable for reparations ”because they built themselves up from the suffering of people under apartheid”, he said.
The committee met on Saturday amid revelations that Swiss military co-operated with apartheid’s chemical and biological weapons programme.
Late last month Jubilee SA 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 Switzerland reports, 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.
Gabriel said the executive committee will meet again on Sunday to thrash-out how to implement the decision taken on Saturday. – Sapa