Apartheid Debt and Reparations Campaign

Apartheid Debt and Reparations Campaign: Jubilee South Africa
Media Release
Thursday 27 March 2003
Pretoria, South Africa

International Campaign for Apartheid-Caused Debt Cancellation and Reparations Stepped Up
As pressure mounts for reparations from multinational banks and businesses that propped up and profited from apartheid human rights abuses, Jubilee South Africa's Apartheid Debt and Reparations Campaign today announced thatn it is holding two major international campaign events in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Frankfurt (Germany) over the coming days. A delegation of six Apartheid Debt & Reparations Campaign representatives, including a representative if the Khulumani victims support group, will travel to Amsterdam and Frankfurt from today until 3 April 2003. On Friday, 28 March, the international campaign will host a round-table discussion in Amsterdam with representatives from business, political parties, and civil society organisations to highlight the case for apartheid reparations based on the illegitimacy of the apartheid debt. On Saturday, 29 March, corporate accountability will be highlighted during a public manifestation on Jubilee Day in Amsterdam. The event will focus on the need for a new human rights ethic for international business in today's world. From Monday, 31 March, to Tuesday, 1 April, the International Campaign for Apartheid-Caused Debt Cancellation and Reparations will hold its strategy meeting in Frankfurt. Representatives from solidarity campaigns in Britain, the United States of America, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Germany will join the South African delegates at the internal meeting. During the meeting, the international campaign will review its activities over the past months and agree on plans to intensify its research and advocacy initiatives in support of the claims by apartheid victims. Part of international meeting will include a high-level televised discussion on similarities between the apartheid reparations claims and the recent Nazi slave labour reparations claims against businesses. Panellists will include key researchers, lawyers, economists, and campaigners from both the international apartheid reparations campaign and the German slave labour campaign. The delegation will return to South Africa on 3 April. To contact the delegation for comment, please call cell. +31 64 137 2462 in the Netherlands from 28 to 30 March and cell. +49 160 736 8968 in Germany from 30 March to 2 April. Issued by Neville Gabriel, Convenor: 

Apartheid Debt & Reparations Campaign Liz Johnstone
Coordinator Apartheid Debt and Reparations Task Team Jubilee South Africa. Email: ljohnson@sacbc.org.za. Ph: +27 (0)12 323 6458
Fax: +27 (0)12 326 6218
Fax: +27 (0)12 325 6125