President Thabo Mbeki faces an awkward trip to the World Cup this
weekend. The focus of questions about the 1999 arms deal has shifted
squarely onto him, with German investigators pursuing allegations that
massive kickbacks were paid to help secure the contract to supply
warships to the South African navy.
Prosecuting authorities in Dusseldorf are looking into about
R140-million in bribes allegedly paid by bidders in the German Frigate
Consortium, which has denied any wrongdoing.
German news magazine Der Spiegel broke the news of the investigation on
Monday, a fortnight after raids were conducted on offices of consortium
members Thyssen Rheinstaal Tecknik and Homwaldswerke-Deutsche Werft.
A part of the investigation, the Mail & Guardian understands, derives
from unsubstantiated allegations directed at Mbeki himself - in a
letter sent to German authorities in 2001.
The disclosures will add to pressure on the president regarding his own
role in the defence acquisition process, which up to now has hinged on
his amnesia about meetings he might have had with representatives of
the French defence company Thales during the bid negotiation process.
According to Der Spiegel, one strand of the German investigation flows
from "as yet unproven" claims that "a top South African
politician had received a payment in the high millions via a Swiss bank
account for his help in facilitating the deal".
The allegation was made in a letter from a South African citizen
received by the prosecutor's office in 2001.
A well-informed German source told the M&G the letter alleged a meeting
took place in Geneva in or around 1999, during which cash was handed
over by a middleman operating on behalf of Thyssen.
According to people in South Africa and Germany familiar with the
circumstances, the letter was sent by Nicholas Achterberg, a shadowy
Johannesburg businessman who has strong German connections. The
politician he supposedly implicated was Mbeki.
A former business partner, who asked not to be named, confirmed that he
knew about Achterberg's letter. He said the allegations made in the
letter stemmed from an alcohol-fuelled conversation over lunch
between Achterberg, Philippe Muller, who headed a Thyssen subsidiary in
South Africa at the time, and an unidentified Frenchman.
It was not possible to trace Achterberg, who is said to be living on a
yacht in the Caribbean, but he did have a business relationship with
the Thyssen group.
A spokesperson for Thyssen Krupp Marine Systems in South Africa
confirmed that Muller had headed one of the conglomerate's companies
in South Africa, and that he had had dealings with Achterberg involving
metals trading. Thyssen now believes Achterberg owes it large sums of
money - raising the possibility that Achterberg's claims were
motivated by malice.
Thyssen Krupp "has substantial claims against Achterberg arising from
those deals", the spokesperson said, stressing that Muller had
"absolutely nothing to do with the Corvettes [the frigates]
whatsoever". Muller has since left the company.
Presidential communications boss Murphy Morobe said he knew nothing
about the letter or the investigation other than what had appeared in
Der Spiegel and on German television.
Of Achterberg's claims he said: "He should have gone to the police
in South Africa, there have been investigations into this issue for
some years." Mbeki would not be discussing the allegations with
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Morobe said, adding: "There is
nothing really new there."
But that claim is belied by the main allegations reported by Der
Spiegel.
The magazine left little room for doubt over whether kickbacks were
paid: "The investigators know that certain so-called UEs were paid in
the course of the Corvette deal," it said. "UE is an abbreviation
for 'useful expenditure' and refers to bribes paid to foreign
companies and declared as tax deductible until the practice became
punishable under German law in February 1999."
Der Speigel says the investigation of the South African deal flowed
from an earlier investigation into "useful expenditure" claimed by
Thyssen on the sale of armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia.
Tax investigators then also examined other Thyssen affiliates. In the
process they ascertained that the company had included similar payments
in the balance sheet for the Corvette deal.
Thyssen Krupp, however, said in a statement that it was confident that
"the investigations will not confirm the suspicions regarding the
illegal payment of commission".
But the German investigation is likely to prompt renewed scrutiny of
the Corvette deal and Mbeki's role during the bids.
In January 1995, then deputy president Mbeki visited Germany, a month
after Armscor had announced that it was considering buying warships
from either the Scottish shipyard Yarrow, or Spanish firm Bazan.
A German consortium involving Thyssen was out of the running. But Mbeki
told Klaus Kinkel, the German foreign minister, and members of the
consortium that the race was still open. This time the Germans were
shortlisted.
That tender was ultimately abandoned in favour of a more comprehensive
package, and the Germans were once again among the bidders, ultimately
winning the R4,3-billion Corvette platform contract in 1998.
According to the auditor general's Joint Investigation Team's
report on the procurement process, however, they had failed to meet
tender specificiations: "With the exception of Bazan all the bidders
failed to comply with the minimum evaluation criteria in respect of
financing, technical requirements, and Defence Industrial
Participation," the report said.
Die beroemde en beminde skilder en katolieke priester van Thaba N'chu is
vandag op 87 oorlede.
Hy sal dmv sy skilderwerk lank onthou word.
--
Groetnis
Annette
Ek is nou 'n eerstejaar by 'n Afrikaanse universiteit, en in 'n
koshuis. Alle interne disipline op ons gang is lyfstraf, maar dit word
sommer ligtelik as 'n grap gedoen. Daar is 'n plank met 'n handle in
die recroom, en as jy droogmaak, brand jou gat. Die reel is dat net
seniors regtig mag slaan, en dis jou eie keuse of jy wil pak kry of
eerder telefoondiens of skottelgoed of wasgoed wil doen. Ons moet dit
anyway doen, maar ons kies eerder die plank as om NOG meer te moet
doen. Die tradisie kom al van die 70's af, en almal is OK daarmee, maar
ek is nuuskierig oor hoeveel ander mans (ouer as ek), en van my
generasie dieselfde deurgemaak het.
Eerstejaars kry nie regtig hard pak nie, dis meer die humiliation om
voor die ander manne in die recroom te moet buk. Met gangpartytjies
dare die ouens mekaar en dit raak soms rof, veral as die broeke begin
waai, en blykbaar is die tweedejaarsontheffing 'n MOERSE pak slae op
jou kaal gat. Moet se ek het al 'n paar snaakse blou kolle in die store
gesien, so ek glo dis die waarheid. Enigiemand anders wat dieselfde ken
?
Ek het op Skopbeen afgekom op 'n Afrikaanse ou se website wat dieselfde
vrae vra, en toe ek so bietjie soek, sien ek die Amerikaners het ook 'n
sterk tradisie van lyfstraf as deel van ontgroening en mans se
universiteitslewe. Die eerste link is na die SA ou se site, die tweede
is na 'n foto van hoe dit soms in Amerika gaan.
Waarskuwing, die volgende link kan sensitiewe kykers ontstel, maar ek
voel tog dit is nodig, want ek het al in SA koshuise PRESIES dieselfde
gesien, en wil weet hoe algemeen dit is :
Ek het toe nou die dag vir Da Vinci Code gaan kyk, amper
per abuis. Ons was eintlik van plan om The Devil wears
Prada te kyk, maar toe moet ons te lank daarvoor wag,
en Da Vinci Code speel vroeër. Ek geniet dit toe terdeë.
Goeie fotografie van goeie argitektuur. En solank mens
onthou dat dit 'n "thriller" is en nie "gebaseer" op enige
"waarheid" nie, werk dit goed. Ek kan dit aanbeveel as
lekker entertainment.
Die website wat deesdae op almal se lippe is sal van vandag af (21H00)
beskikbaar wees.
www.crimebarometersouthafrica.co.za
Manne dit gaan 'n lekker plek wes om vanaf besprekings punte te loods.
Gloudina jy sal nou daar in Kanada kan sit en met jou eie oe sien dat
die hoof kleur in die reenboognasie rooi is. Rooi van al die bloed van
mense wat sterf as gevolg van 'n regering wat korrup en onbevoeg is
En voor jy nou op die rassisme wa spring, die site gaan oor crime
teenoor ALLE rasse.
Ek sien nou vir die eerste keer dat jy 'n Noot vir Noot wenner was.
Tensy ek nou die verkeerde Soois hier beet het natuurlik. In elk geval,
ek glo jy is dus 'n man wat sy musiek ken en uit die aard dit ook
geniet.
Wat dink jy van die plan om "piracy" te probeer bekamp.
Musiek moet soos 'n kar behandel word. Indien dit 'n 2006 model is dan
is die song vir arguments onthalwe R20 werd. Hoe ouer die song hoe
goedkoper word hy.
Net soos met karre is daar ook "limited edition's", dit is soos die
"one hit wonders" wat natuurlik bietjie duurder kan wees. Ou songs
afhangende van hoe beskikbaar hulle is kan na 'n sekere tyd weer
bietjie duurder word, net soos wat 'n kar 'n "vintage" word na ek
dink 30 jaar.
Some HIV/Aids and tuberculosis (TB) patients in the Eastern Cape are
refusing treatment because they fear losing their disability grants,
the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in the province said on Thursday.
TAC coordinator Philip Mokoena said the number of people refusing
treatment is growing, especially in the deep rural areas like
Lusikisiki.
"At first we only saw one or two people, but in the rural areas,
especially Lusikisiki, it is getting worse," Mokoena said.
He said the people's refusal can be ascribed to the high levels of
unemployment and poverty in the province.
There are two types of disability grant: a permanent disability grant
and a six-month disability grant, which means that the patient's
condition is closely monitored. Most people living with HIV/Aids and TB
receive this temporary grant. As soon as they start treatment, they
have to go for regular medical assessments and if their condition
improves enough, they are taken off the grant.
"Aids sufferers get the grant only if their CD4 blood count is below
200, which means that their condition is almost critical.
"Anti-retrovirals push the CD4 count up and then the people get scared
that they will lose their grants."
CD4 cells are white blood cells that help fight infection. In general,
the CD4 count goes down as the HIV progresses.
At first it was only people living with Aids who refused treatment, but
recently the problem has spread to those diagnosed with TB.
Mokoena said the TAC has informed the social development department of
the situation and negotiations are under way to supply the patients
with more information regarding the grants and the importance of
treatment for their illnesses.
"These people don't put their health first. When you ask them why they
don't want to take the medicine, they say they're hungry and need
food."
Mokoena said the Civil Society Organisation, of which the TAC is part,
has proposed that all unemployed people be given a basic income grant.
"Then they won't fear losing their money when they get better. They
will still have an income, even if they take their medicine."
People who qualify for the disability grant receive R820 a month. --
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