An Atlas of Apartheid Allies/Opensecrets.org
The wrong side of history: Countries and organisations who helped Apartheid exposed in revealing new book
Hennie Van Vuuren’s 624-page exposé on the economic crimes of Apartheid targets corruption from within, and the heinous financial methods of survival the regime used.
An Atlas of Apartheid Allies/Opensecrets.org
The book, titled ‘Apartheid Guns and Money, a Tale of Profit’ reveals the extent of the regime’s attempts to generate money to support itself. It isn’t just the barbarians of Apartheid guilty of mass corruption, though. Collusion with European bankers, international heads of states and ‘liberal’ European government paints a sickening picture of how racial discrimination was ENABLED by a multitude of global investors.
Speaking to journalists at a media briefing in Johannesburg this week, Van Vuuren made it clear that now is the time “for South Africans to have a conversation about economic crime”.
Read: Why growing corruption is a threat to South Africa’s national security
The book focuses heavily on how numerous organisations (and in some cases, whole countries) profited from the use of machinery made for the defence of Apartheid. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It has been revealed that Armscor (SA’s department of defence) had 844 bank accounts in 196 banks across at least 27 countries – most of them in Europe. Other stunning revelations include:
- A plan to build a deep-water harbour in Turkey – approved by their head of state – to boost South Africa’s coal trade and links to Europe.
- Numerous oil-for-guns negotiations
- Mega-rich Swiss bankers and even some Swiss banks lobbied FOR apartheid at international conferences, to protect their business interests.
Watch: Unfounded fear of returning to Apartheid fuelling ANC violence
Indeed, the level of Van Vuuren’s research is staggering. His work with Open Secrets, the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation, Right To Know, Lawyers For Human Rights and the South African History Archive led him to conduct 110 interviews, and study around TWO MILLION documents.
Talk about doing your homework.
Speaking to City Press, Van Vuuren went on to explain why he was so dedicated to this cause:
“It is important to have an archive on Apartheid which can be accessed, in order to understand our past and our country. We must understand as a country who we are dealing with.”
The explosive Apartheid Guns and Money, a Tale of Profit is available now.
