Cape Town, South Africa-based journalist commentator and author specialising in political and economic analysis and labour matters. Editor of a trans-continental journalists’ collective operating as africanewsfeatures.com. The registered website carrying archival and current work of the collective is still to be completed.
Hi there.
A few years ago I met a woman named Nisha Naidoo, a South African filmmaker who was raising awareness about the loan debt being paid to ABSA by the current South African government. This debt, being incurred by the apartheid government is under international law surely null and void, she argued.
I’m looking for further information about this situation and I was pointed in the direction of your institution. Do you have any further info on this?
A bit of background, I’m a musician slowly building a profile. I’ve had several interviews over the last month with internet publications and I’m champing at the bit to bring this issue to the attention of people who might not be aware of this. I’ve held back because I’m not as informed of the circumstances, contexts and hard facts as I would like to be.
I’m approaching you to fill the gap in my knowledge regarding this. Do you have this information available?
Regards
Roscoe
Comment by Roscoe Palm — September 8, 2008 @ 6:50 am |
What happened to Maj Neil Kriel?
Comment by djonquil — November 21, 2008 @ 1:29 pm |
Sorry about the delay in responding, Roscoe. In brief: the issue involvng Absa was one of a controversial (to be polite) “lifeboat” of R2 billion given by the government to bail out Absa. But Absa was subsequently bought by the British-based transnational bank,Barclays, for R30 billion, a fact hailed by the government as a “major investment”. It was not, of course. It was a case of selling a local cash cow (which had been subsidised by the government, having got into loan/debt problems) to an overseas investor who, by most calculations, would get back in dividends, the R30 billion “investment” in perhaps eight years — and still own Absa and ongoing profits.
Regarding 2 I would love to hear from anyone who could tell me where Neil Kriel is.
Comment by Terry Bell — January 3, 2009 @ 4:11 pm |
Hi Terry
Greetings from Brooklyn, New York.
I’m a filmmaker from Zimbabwe, now based here, and I’m very keen to speak with you about one of the characters that pops up in your “Unfinished Business” whom I have crossed paths with. Your insights could be very useful and I think you may find it interesting too.
Can we continue this conversation privately?
Thanks, Bob Coen
Comment by Bob Coen — January 12, 2009 @ 7:04 pm |
Hi Terry,
I’m working on a biography of my father, and am trying to track down what may be the father of someone mentioned in your book “Unfinished Business”. If it is, then there is a very interesting, if tragic, backstory there.
Many thanks!
Ingrid
Comment by Ingrid Schulze — January 19, 2009 @ 6:50 pm |
Responses sent to Bob and Ingrid via email
Comment by Terry Bell — January 20, 2009 @ 9:44 am |
Dear Mr Bell – I have placed this comment in response to your work on TRC and psychiatry. I would like to correspond with you.
The coercive practice of psychiatry continues in South Africa. It is paternalistic belief in the beneficence of the ethos of medical psychiatry and the stigma attached to “mental illness” that allow conditions where human rights abuses to continue and thrive in State Psychiatric Hospitals. The well documented death of a patient in Kings Hospital in 2001 by been beaten to the extent that his spleen burst is one case. Komani Hospital staff members were suspended for facilitating the rape of female patients – for money!It is laudable that they were caught – how many have not – with the silence that surrounds these institutions. The testimony of patients is regarded as “rantings of the mentally ill” and staff can deny abuse based on the common belief of the “mad” being liars.
We need to investigate the continued human rights abuses in psychiatric institutions in this country. The Townhill Report, 2005, on the conditions in this psychiatric institution that was done by the Department of Health. Read it. It is horrifying and must only scratch the surface. The Department of Health investigating themselves!It is stated that ample evidence of sexual and physical abuse was taking place, drunken staff on duty etc…..
I myself was an inpatient at Valkenberg Hospital and suffered abuse. Besides, physical abuse – I can tell of patients being forced to urinate and defecate in the ward yard because staff would not unlock and accompany them to the toilet. Being forced to drink water out of toilet cisterns because none other was available. Unavailability of underwear, forced to share toothbrushes, no toilet paper…………
Please, if you read this – contact theubuntucentre@gmail.com and maybe we can lobby for an investigation into the continued abuses we are subject too…
Comment by The Ubuntu Centre — August 10, 2009 @ 9:19 am |