By Fred M’membe

The Brenthurst Foundation is a Johannesburg-based organisation established by the Oppenheimer family, the founders of Anglo American Plc, in 2004. Anglo-American was a central pillar of apartheid. The company grew rich buying the holdings of foreign multinationals that were reducing their exposure in apartheid South Africa.

According to Anglo’s chairman, Gavin W. H. Relly, the company was playing a “stabilizing” role in the wake of multinational corporate disinvestment. Anglo-American’s character is a reflection of the designs of South Africa’s Oppenheimer family. Sir Ernest Oppenheimer took over the mining enterprise from late 19th century English mining magnate Cecil John Rhodes. He built a diversified company out of initial investments in diamonds and other gems, which he passed on to his son, Harry Frederick Oppenheimer. When Anglo-American was set up in 1917, half of the initial capital supplied came from United States investors, with the condition that Oppenheimer’s first choice for the company’s moniker, “African-American,” be changed to Anglo-American, because “African-American would suggest on this side our dark-skinned fellow countrymen and possibly result in ridicule,” a cable from the U.S. investors stated. The company in 1929 bought De Beers from successors of Cecil Rhodes.

Through Anglo, the Oppenheimers came to own shares in most of South Africa’s mining houses. In fact, the houses had cross-holdings with each other, making the block of capital quite formidable. But the extent of Oppenheimer wealth and power did not stop there. They were owners of the nation’s largest steel works, travel agency, brick factory, discount house, auto dealership and computer software firm. The Oppenheimers were not afraid to employ their power to get what they wanted. On the issue of apartheid they had ostensibly taken a reformist position and had crafted an image for themselves as defenders of the rights of black workers by supporting abolition of the pass laws and the Group Areas Act, the cornerstones of the apartheid political structure.

But on questions of economic justice, such as the price of black labour, sharp contradictions emerged. Anglo-American had an anti-labour history that involved the use of the repressive services of the apartheid security apparatus, as well as its own security personnel, to control and exploit workers. Being the world’s largest private employer of black labour and the world’s largest producer of gold and diamonds meant Anglo was also one of the world’s biggest exploiters of cheap black mine labour.

Nonetheless, the company clearly had a very big financial stake in the economic realities of apartheid.

As one U.S. magazine noted, Anglo’s “entire structure rests on cheap labour and apartheid’s migrant labour system. Like the other South African mining concerns, it paid wages that were among the world’s lowest and its black employees earned a quarter of what whites were paid. And while white miners were given heavily subsidised modern homes, utilities and schools, blacks were crowded into stark compounds that resembled prison camps.”

Anglo-American was viewed as the “flip side of the same coin,” one of the many wheels that greased the apartheid machinery through tax payments and growing productive industrial, mining and financial power. “The firm’s long record of backing apartheid laws that suited its purposes but remaining silent about those that did not and repeatedly bludgeoning unionists into submission” as one news account put it, made Anglo-American’s reformist posture seem ever more specious.

While Anglo had not always rubbed apartheid officialdom the right way, both the company and the white-minority regime were aware that they were on common ground in preventing a change of state power to a black majority committed to reducing the gap between the few wealthy, and always white, property owners and the majority of workers who have nothing.

Briefly, these are the friends, sponsors of our rulers.

Patriotic Front (PF)’s Information and Publicity Chairperson Raphael Nakacinda has said that while the entire country is gripped with fear over the revelation of a storm named ANA heading towards Zambia, President Hakainde Hichilema has chosen to leave the country for what he said a book launch, which many have considered as a clear show of misplaced priority on the part of State House.

In a statement released to the media, Mr. Nacinda said that when the President was in opposition, his party, the UPND used to go to the mountain tops whenever President Edgar Lungu traveled out mostly on crucial state visits.

Mr. Nakacinda said that it’s in difficult times like this, why people elect leaders and for the most part a President to stay home and provide sound leadership when people are gripped in fear and distress.

Mr. Nakacinda said that other than what he described as pointless Facebook postings meant to justify his pointless trip, the president should be on the frontline coordinating response and mobilization of contingent resources both from government and stakeholders.

Mr. Nakacinda said that, as Patriotic Front, the party sympathizes with the people and can only pray for Gods hand and favor on Zambia and the neighbouring countries so that lives and property are lost.

Meanwhile, the South African Government President released the following statement regarding the President’s visit.

PRESIDENT HICHILEMA’S VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA
Statement from the Presidency
South Africa and Zambia cement Bilateral Relations
26 January 2022 – 6:45pm

President Cyril Ramaphosa has this afternoon, Wednesday 26 January 2022, received His Excellency President Hakainde Hichilema of the Republic of Zambia for a courtesy visit at the Mahlamba Ndlopfu official residence in Tshwane.

President Hichilema is visiting South Africa as an invited guest speaker at a private function.

President Hichilema’s courtesy call on President Ramaphosa provided an opportunity for bilateral discussions between South Africa and Zambia ahead of an Inaugural Bi-National Commission scheduled for later this year.

Today’s meeting also touched on regional issues, reaffirming South Africa and Zambia’s common international policy of a stable and peaceful continent.

This shared approach includes the use of multilateral bodies to advance the African Agenda and that of the global South, and the collective solidarity of the SADC community in the fight against terrorism and insurgencies.

President Ramaphosa commended Zambia’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, reasserting that developing countries must have equity in developing and distributing vaccines.

The two leaders also noted progress in the establishment of facilities in Africa for the production of vaccines and other therapeutics that will reach populations around the continent.

The leaders identified the need for South Africa and Zambia to keep one another abreast of investment opportunities in each country and to actively encourage business to invest in areas of mutual benefit for regional development, such as in mineral beneficiation, local manufacturing and agriculture.

President Ramaphosa and President Hichilema cemented bilateral relations between the two countries.

South Africa and Zambia enjoy cordial bilateral relations, underpinned by strong historical and political bonds that date back to the era of the liberation struggle and apartheid colonialism

A Historian at the University of Zambia has warned that the continued summoning of perceived opponents of the new dawn government has the potential to dent the name of the President and government in the sight of members of the public and the international community.

Dr. Eustone Chiputa has told Phoenix News that although most politicians being summoned may have cases to answer, unwarranted summoning on flimsy grounds becomes questionable.

He says police must always ensure that they do due diligence before summoning or detaining anyone as doing so without proper investigations may infringe on citizens’ rights.

Dr. Chiputa explains that if not addressed, most Zambians will feel the arresting of politicians is mere victimization by government.

Meanwhile, Human Rights Activist Brebner Changala has accused the Zambia Police of abusing archaic laws such as Defamation of the President and the Public Order Act to suppress the views of citizens.

Mr. Changala is of the view that government is struggling with the Public Order Act and the application of the law by police which is not in tandem with pronouncements made so far aimed at upholding human rights and quashing the intimidation and harassment experienced under the former regime.

He tells Phoenix News that the police remains affected by the way the previous regime operated hence the summoning of opposition leaders on flimsy charges and detention of some without charge.

Police have in the past two weeks summoned a number of opposition political figures with Patriotic Front Information and Publicity Chairperson Raphael Nakacinda charged with defamation of the president.

United Party for National Development (UPND) Deputy National Youth Information and Publicity Secretary David Chikwanda has cautioned ruling party youths against indiscipline and lawlessness.

Four UPND youths are appearing in the Kasama Magistrate Court for assaulting Kasama District Administrative Officer Beauty Namukoko last week over allegations of denying them empowerment.

Furthermore, some UPND youths in Kalulushi have been arrested by Police for verbally abusing Copperbelt Minister Elisha Matambo who is also the party Provincial Chairperson.

In an interview, Mr. Chikwanda, the former Copperbelt University Students Union (COBUSU) President, said the UPND youth wing was saddened by the behaviour of some party youths.

“I think as a youth leadership our expectations are that our members should behave in an exemplary manner that portrays that we are in the ruling party and that we are disciplined and that we are focused in what we are doing. We don’t have to be like the previous regime the way youths were behaving, I think we need to be different. In that line, I wish to condemn the recent behavior by some of the youths who went on the media with violent acts and others with language which was unpalatable,” Mr. Chikwanda said.

“Like the President said, I think in the beginning, he appealed to the youths not to spoil their soup. I think youths need to calm down and follow instructions from the party and not take the law into their own hands because this is a Government that is anchored on upholding the rule of law. So no one will be spared in the name of doing things against the law. So it is very important that despite the anger that they might have and despite the rough situation that they went through during the previous regime, we appeal to them to follow the direction from the leadership, from the President in the manner they conduct themselves,” he said.

He said UPND youths must not emulate the hooliganism demonstrated by PF youths.

“We need to bring sanity; yes we went through a lot during the previous regime. Personally I was almost stoned to death but we need to do things differently so that we show the nation that we are different from what was happening in the past because if we continue then it means we are not different. And we might as well go through the same path that our friends went through that they were even defeated in a landslide manner,” Mr. Chikwanda said.

He said there is a need for UPND youths to be progressive.

“So we need to take responsibility, to be mature. Let bygones, now let us focus on national development. Let us focus on rebuilding our nation which was destroyed in all angles by the previous regime. We destroyed our ethnicity fiber; there was a lot of disunity in the nation so it is time for people to heal right now and to come together. So we appeal to our youths to heal from the past injuries that were caused on you by the previous regime and let’s focus on things that are going to build us,” Mr. Chikwanda said.

“Let’s focus on coming up with proposals that can be funded by the Government in terms of youth empowerment and also those youths who have papers. It’s time to put them in order and wait for jobs from the Government as you know that the Government will be employing teachers, we will be employing nurses. I think in all Government departments, even the Green Economy, there will be employing forestry staff so it is time to put things in order.”

Mr. Chikwanda added:”It is time for youths to start contributing to national development unlike to start attacking innocent people. If you have any information that there are people that are working against the Government we advise you to report to us or you can report to the police so that necessary action can be taken. Otherwise law breaking will not be tolerated.”