Fwd: Jubilee 2000 South Africa Launched
John Mutambirwa
>
>Hi friends.
>This is a reminder of our meeting next week; Theme is onland and its
links
>to economics, and the right to land generally, led by Stuart Gillan.
>
>The attached piece is forwarded on to us by John Mihevc
>The issue of "odious debts" was raised in the Jubilee meetings in Rome,
and
>people feel it sia cause we should look at and take up as part of our
>support for Jubilee.
>I am sending as well the reports from Rome by John and Jennifer, and
peter.
>As ever,
>Jim
T
>
>Subject: Jubilee 2000 South Africa Launched
>X-UIDL: 130568d24f2129a42337c1d81f9c83fb
>
>Subject: J2000 South Africa
>
>PanAfrican News Agency
>Bishop Wants Mandela To Campaign For Debt Cancellation
>November 6, 1998
>
>CAPE TOWN, South Africa (PANA) - The Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town,
>Rev. Njongonkulu Ndungane, Friday appealed to President Nelson Mandela
to
>add his "considerable moral authority" to Jubilee 2000, the world-wide
campaign
>to cancel the debt of developing countries by the turn of the century.
>He said that Mandela's committed and regular support of the jubilee
>would go a long way towards persuading the world's economic and
political
>leaders, including those of the powerful G8 countries, of the need to
write-off
>the huge debts of developing countries.
>
>"In your capacity as leader of both SADC and NAM, not to mention the
>tremendously high regard in which you are held in your own right, your
>support would carry huge weight," Ndungane said in a keynote address at
>the launch of the South African initiative of Jubilee 2000 in Cape
Town.
>The archbishop added that he was aware that this was a cause with which
>the president could readily identify, "but the poor of our world need
you to
>plead their case, again and again, until real and meaningful action is
>taken in this respect."
>
>Turning to South Africa's own debt, Ndungane said that its repayments
>made up the second largest item on the country's annual budget, and
called
>for the debt to be written off. "All loans to the apartheid regime and
its
>agents were 'odious debts' which were taken to suppress the people of
South
>Africa. These are not the responsibility of the people and of our new
>government," the prelate said.
>
>He pointed out that South Africa had itself taken the lead in this
>respect by writing off the debt owed to it by Namibia. The archbishop
said
>that much of this debt is owed internally, and especially significant
>difference to the resources available for poverty eradication in South
Africa.
>However, it was important to establish that any funding released
through
>restructuring the fund should be specifically targeted towards
>programmes that eradicate poverty, and not simply released into the
general
>fiscus of the country.
>
>"I want to urge captains of commerce and industry and members of the
>financial departments of government to continue their discussions about
>the internal debt as a matter of urgency, and to find ways in which
funds
>made available could be utilised for social upliftment programmes," he
said.
>_______________________________________
>
>Business Day 6/11/98
>Jubilee 2000 calls for scrapping of debt
>November 6, 1998
>By Linda Ensor
>
>Cape Town - The SA leg of an international campaign to secure the
>scrapping of all third-world debt by the year 2000 was launched
yesterday, with
>campaigners levelling criticism at developed countries for their
>tardiness in granting relief to the world's poor.
>
>The campaign has been endorsed by the African National Congress (ANC).
>The party's parliamentary caucus expressed support for the campaign
earlier
>this week, saying its success was vital if the "poorest of the poor are
not
>to be continuously punished and starved".
>
>The need for the debt's scrapping was highlighted by the fact that
>Africa, for instance, spends more repaying debts to creditors than it
does on
>basic health care.
>
>In his keynote address, Archbishop Denis Hurley attacked industrialised
>countries for their lack of commitment to debt relief and blamed this
on
>their dedication to "market forces". He said these should be replaced
by
>ethical attitudes. He said the total cost of providing relief for the
20
>worst-affected countries would amount to between $5,5bn and $7,7bn -
>less than the cost of one American Stealth bomber.
>
>In its founding declaration, Jubilee 2000 SA noted that the poor of the
>world were subsidising the rich. "For every $1 given in aid, $1,31 is
>squeezed out of Africa in debt repayments to the rich countries. The
>largest immediate obstacle to sustainable development throughout the
third
world
>is this debt bondage. The debts caused by apartheid compounds this
>outrage." Jubilee 2000 SA's interim secretary Neville Gabriel said
that by
>allocating such large parts of their national budgets to debt
servicing,
>sub-Saharan countries were suffering "massive economic and social
instability".
>He said the campaign had gathered momentum across the globe, with seven
>of the G-8 countries having launched campaigns in recent weeks.
>
>"The launches add further pressure on the G-8 governments to deliver
>meaningful debt relief in time for the G-8 summit in Cologne in June
>1999," Gabriel said. The first International Jubilee 2000 conference
will
>take place in Rome later this month.
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Sowetan 6/11/98
>Jubilee wants South Africa debt scrapped
>November 6, 1998
>By Claire Keeton, Feature Writer
>
>Johannesburg - The Jubilee 2000 South Africa campaign, launched in Cape
>Town yesterday, is calling for the cancellation of South Africa's
foreign
>debt of about R17 billion - as part of the international campaign to
have Third
>World debt scrapped by 2000. The global campaign is rapidly gaining
>momentum in the wealthy G8 countries to whom debts are owed, with
supporters
>in seven of the eight countries having launched campaigns recently for
>meaningful debt relief. "This is a very feasible campaign. It is
>well-researched and thought out," said
>Jackie Boulle, programme director for the South African National NGO
Coalition
>(Sangoco). Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and religious groups are
>key supporters of the campaign worldwide.
>
>Boulle said: "This is not about developing countries reneging on debt
>repayments which would affect their credit rating negatively. It is
>about those who provided the credit cancelling the debt." Finland is
the first
>government to give political support to the campaign by approving
policy
>to support the cancellation of debts of developing countries, many of
which
>have high poverty levels.
>
>"The Finnish government is committed to Jubilee 2000 (J2K) and is
>seeking a multilateral agreement together with Canada," interim
secretary
of the
>South Africa campaign Neville Gabriel said yesterday. He said Germany
and
>Sweden had launched campaigns calling for the scrapping of apartheid
debt
>and debt in Southern Africa; France and Japan had already launched J2K
>campaigns; and the United States campaign would be launched soon.
>
>"The launch, in quick succession, of national campaigns ... has reason
>to make creditor governments nervous," said international Jubilee 2000
>Coalition spokesman Nick Buxton. "They know that their resistance to
>popular global pressure for debt relief will soon be untenable."
Gabriel said
>"if there ever was an odious debt", the debt accumulated under
apartheid was
>an example of it, and for this reason it should be scrapped.
>"Jubilee 2000 is calling for a once-off cancellation of South African
>foreign debt based on the odiousness of the debt. We do not foresee
this
>need arising again in South Africa." Gabriel said among the issues
South
>Africa's J2K campaign must clarify would be a cutoff date for apartheid
>debt; who borrowed money; for whose benefit; how this affected the
poor;
>and how it continues to affect the economy.
>"The aid which is pushed into Africa at the moment is pointless,"
>Gabriel commented. "For every US dollar of aid (R5,60) that flows into
>sub-Saharan Africa, at least $1,3 (R7,30) - and this could be as high
as $11
>(R61,60) - flows out in debt servicing." Gabriel said most Third World
debts,
>estimated at R 2 240 billion, were unpayable and the rich countries of
the
North
>could afford to cancel them.
>
>For example, US company Microsoft Corporation alone makes about R190,4
>million in profit a day, the amount that sub-Saharan Africa pays every
>day in debt servicing, according to the international J2K campaign. It
>estimates the cost of meeting basic health, nutrition, education and
family
>planning needs for the whole of Africa at about R45 billion a year, yet
>sub-Saharan Africa paid the developed world R75 billion in 1996.
Gabriel
>said there are precedents for debt cancellation, many for questionable
>reasons, and this campaign has compelling reasons. "Jubilee 2000 would
give
>Africa a chance and contribute to the recovery of the international
>economy," said Gabriel.
>
>He said debt cancellation would have to be negotiated by
representatives
>of indebted and creditor countries. "They would have to look at the
terms
>on which debt was written off. It would need to be a transparent and
>democratic process. Countries would need to consider what happens to
the
>benefits from debt cancellation. The increased resources (from debt
>cancellation) must be linked to social and productive spending, not go
on
>arms and wars," Gabriel said.
>
>South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) representative Anna
Weekes
>said the money South Africa spent on paying interest was not reducing
the
>size of its debt and that money could be used for infrastructure. "We
will
>never pay back the full amount. It does not make economic sense and is
>destabilising the country," she said, explained Samwu's support for the
>campaign.
>The Congress of South African Trade Unions, the South African Council
of
>Churches, the Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference, the World
>Conference on Religion and Peace, the Environmental Justice Networking
>Forum, Black Sash and Sangoco are among the organisations supporting
>Jubilee 2000.
>
>"We have thrown our weight behind Jubilee 2000 in a South African
context,
>because debt repayment is a critical stumbling block to the funding of
>development," said Boulle. "We are also aware of the legacy imposed by
>apartheid in the region, and the burden other countries in the South
are
>experiencing. It is an opportunity for international solidarity." The
>Jubilee 2000 Africa campaign was launched in April this year and the
>first International Jubilee 2000 campaign will be held in Rome, Italy,
later
>this month.
>
>Gabriel said South Africa already has a strong committee in Gauteng and
>one in KwaZulu-Natal, and that it would be setting up regional
committees in
>Eastern Cape, Northern Province and Northern Cape. The two-day launch
>conference, which started yesterday, will elect office-bearers,
determine
>policy and adopt a founding declaration for the South Africa campaign.
>High-profile patrons of the campaign locally include religious leaders
>Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane, Dr Beyers
Naude,
>Archbishop Denis Hurley, Chief Rabbi Cyril Harris, Imam Rashied Omar,
Dr
>Farid Esack and Charity Majiza.
>Wits University vice chancellor Professor Colin Bundy, poet Dennis
Brutus,
>Dr Barney Pityana and writers Fatima Meer and Don Mattera are also
patrons.
>
>
>__________________________________
>Cape Times 6/11/98
>Campaign to help Third World Ditch old debt, SA urged
>
>THE SOUTH AFRICAN leg of an international campaign to scrap Third World
debt
>by 2000 as a prerequisite for urgent development was launched in Cape
Town
>yesterday. The Jubilee 2000 Coalition aims to celebrate the new
millennium by
>helping lift the burden of unpayable debt from poor countries. South
>Africa's apartheid debt, which left a legacy of huge amounts of money
being
>swallowed up in debt repayment, will come under scrutiny during a
two-day
>conference in Cape Town. Speaking at the launch of Jubilee 2000 South
>Africa last night, Archbishop Denis Hurley called for the instilling of
"new
>ethical values" which
>placed the value of human life above all else.
>
>"Looking at the misery in the world, especially in heavily indebted
poor
>countries but also in countries like our own with a staggering
proportion of
>poverty-stricken and unemployed people, we must accept that the time
has
>surely come for a large international effort to place ethical values in
>a commanding position in the matter of dealing with such widespread
>misery," he told delegates to the conference. He said there was a need
to
>foster ethical attitudes as the supreme inspiration of international,
>intercultural and interpersonal relations. Hurley said the seriousness
of
>Third World debt was that it crushed many countries and prevented them
from
>developing their economies and promoting education, health and other
social
>services.
>
>"But I take the liberty of expressing the hope that out of this sharply
>focused initiative will emerge among many of us the need and incentive
to
>dedicate our efforts to the greater objective of instilling ethical
values."
>These values could be inspired by "whatever faith or philosophy we
profess"
>as the key motivation for widespread human social concern. Anglican
>Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane said in his keynote address last night
that
>President Nelson Mandela's support for the Jubilee 2000 campaign would
go a
>long way towards persuading the world's economic and political leaders
to
>write off huge debts among developing countries.
>
>"In Mandela's capacity as leader of both the Southern African
Development
>Community and the Non-Aligned Movement, not to mention the tremendously
>high regard in which he is held in his own right, his support would
carry
>huge weight." Ndungane said he was aware that this was a cause with
which
>Mandela could readily identify.
>
>"The poor of our world need Mandela to plead their case, again and
again,
>until meaningful action is taken." South Africa's debt repayments
>constituted the second-largest item on the country's annual budget and
>should be written off, Ndungane said. "All loans to the apartheid
regime
>and its agents were odious debts which were taken to suppress the
people of
>South Africa. These are not the responsibility of the people and of our
new
>government," he said.
>South Africa had taken the lead in this respect by writing off the debt
>owed to it by Namibia, he said. Much of the debt was owed internally
>"especially to the pension fund of government employees".
>
>Research had indicated that a restructuring of this fund could make a
>significant difference to the resources available for the eradication
of
>poverty in South Africa. It was important to establish that any
funding
>released through restructuring the fund should be targeted towards
>programmes that would eradicate poverty and not simply be released into
the
>general fiscus of the country. "I want to urge captains of commerce
and
>industry and members of the financial departments of government to
continue
>their discussions about the internal debt as a matter of urgency."
>
>He also called on political and business leaders to find ways in which
>any funds made available could be utilised for social upliftment
programmes.
>According to the declaration of Jubilee 2000 SA, the poor of the world
are
>subsidising the rich. The statement says that for each US dollar given
in
>aid, $1,3 is squeezed out of Africa in debt repayment to rich
countries. It
>says the biggest immediate obstacle to sustainable development
throughout
>the Third World is "debt bondage". Billions of people are affected by
this
>and life for them is nasty, brutish and short, it says. "The debt
condemns
>generations still unborn." The declaration went on to say that
democratic
>South Africa,
>notwithstanding its own financial constraints, had shown rich countries
the
>way by cancelling the odius debts to Namibia incurred under occupation
by
>apartheid
>South Africa. In so doing, it said, the African National Congress
government
>did not consider whether unilateral debt cancellation could be
afforded,
nor did
>it impose adjustments or other preconditions on its neighbour.
>
>"We call upon the rich countries to follow the example of the new South
>African government to write off the odious loans given to dictators who
have
>enriched themselves at the expense of their people."
>_______________________________________________________________
>
>JUBILEE SA JUBILEE 2000 CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED IN CAPE TOWN
>
>CAPE TOWN November 5 1998 Sapa
>The South African leg of an international campaign calling for the
scrapping
>of Third World debt by the year 2000 was launched in Cape Town on
Thursday
>morning. The campaign, Jubilee 2000 Coalition, aims to celebrate the
new
>millenium by lifting the burden of unpayable debt from poor countries.
>South Africa's apartheid debt, which left a legacy of huge amounts of
>money being swallowed up in debt repayment, will come under scrutiny
during a
>two-day conference in Cape Town.
>
>Speaking at the launch of Jubilee 2000 South Africa, Archbishop Dennis
>Hurley called for the instilling of new ethical values which placed the
>value of human life above all else. "Looking at the misery in the
world,
>especially in heavily indebted poor countries but also in countries
like our
>own with a staggering proportion of poverty-stricken and unemployed
persons,
>we must accept that the time has surely come for a large international
>effort to place ethical values in a commanding position in the matter
of
>dealing with such widespread misery," he told delegates to the
conference.
>
>He said there was a need to replace markers' values with ethical
attitudes
>as the supreme inspiration of international, intercultural and
interpersonal
>relations. Hurley said the seriousness of Third World debt was that it
>crushed many countries and prevented them from developing their
economies and
>promoting education, health and other social services. "But I take the
>liberty of expressing the hope that out of this sharply focused
initiative
>will emerge among many of us the need and the incentive to dedicate our
>efforts to the greater objective of instilling ethical values,
inspired by
>whatever faith or philosophy we profess, as the motive power of
widespread
>human social concern."
>
>According to the declaration of the Jubilee 2000 SA, the poor of the
world
>were subsidising the rich. The statement said that for every US1 given
in
>aid, US1,3 was squeezed out of Africa in debt repayment to rich
countries.
>It said the largest immediate obstacle to sustainable development
throughout
>the Third World was debt bondage. Billions of people were affected by
it and
>life for them was nasty, brutish and short. "The debt condemns
generations
>still unborn," the declaration said.
>
>Democratic South Africa, notwithstanding its own financial constraints,
>had shown rich countries the way by cancelling the odius debts to
Namibia
>incurred under apartheid South African occupation. In so doing, it
said,
>the African National Congress-led government did not consider whether
>unilateral debt cancellation could be afforded, nor did it impose
>adjustments or other preconditions on its neighbour. "We call upon the
rich
>countries to follow the example of the new South African government to
write
>off the odius loans given to dictators who have enriched themselves at
the
>expense of their people." Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town Njongonkulu
>Ndungane will deliver a keynote
>address at a dinner on Thursday night.
>___________________________________________
>
>JUBILEE-NDUNGANE MANDELA SHOULD PUT HIS WEIGHT BEHIND DEBT
CAMPAIGN:NDUNGANE
>
>CAPE TOWN November 5 1998 Sapa
>President Nelson Mandela should put his weight behind the campaign to
have
>the debt of developing countries cancelled by the turn of the century,
>Anglican Archbishop Reverend Njongonkulu Ndungane said on Thursday. In
a
>speech prepared for delivery at the launch of Jubilee 2000 South Africa
in
>Cape Town, Ndungane said Mandela's support for the campaign would go a
long
>way in persuading the world's economic and political leaders to write
off
>huge debts of developing countries, including the powerful G8
countries.
>
>"In your capacity as leader of both the Southern African Development
>Community and the Non-Aligned Movement, not to mention the tremendously
high
>regard in which you are held in your own right, your support would
carry
>huge weight."
>Ndungane said he was aware that this was a cause with which Mandela
could
>readily identify. "The poor of our world need you to plead their case,
again
>and again, until real and meaningful action is taken in this respect."
South
>Africa's debt repayments constituted the second largest item on the
>country's annual budget and it should be written off, the archbishop
said.
>
>"All loans to the apartheid regime and its agents were odious debts
which
>were taken to suppress the people of South Africa. These are not the
>responsibility of the people and of our new government," Ndungane said.
>South Africa had itself taken the lead in this respect by writing off
the
>debt owed to it by Namibia, he said. Much of the debt was owed
internally
>and especially to the pension fund of government employees. Research
had
>indicated that a restructuring of this fund could make a significant
>difference to the resources available for poverty eradication in South
Africa.
>
>It was important to establish that any funding released through
>restructuring the fund should be specifically targeted towards
programmes
>that would eradicate poverty, not simply released into the general
fiscus of
>the country. "I want to urge captains of commerce and industry and
members
>of the financial departments of government to continue their
discussions
>about the internal debt as a matter of urgency, and to find ways in
which
>funds made available could be utilised for social upliftment
programmes,"
>Ndungane said.
>_______________________________
>
>JUBILEE-SACP SACP CALLS FOR END OF THIRD WORLD DEBT
>JOHANNESBURG November 5 1998 Sapa
>
>The SA Communist Party on Thursday added its voice to the call for
Third
>World debt to be scrapped, giving its support to the Jubilee 2000 South
>Africa campaign. The campaign, launched in Cape Town on Thursday,
demands
>that Third World debt be scrapped by the year 2000.
>
>"At a time when the people of the South are being made to bear the
brunt
>of the current global crisis of capitalism, the Jubiliee 2000 vision is
more
>relevant than ever before," a party statement in Johannesburg said.
"Over
>the past 25 years declining profitability and productivity in the
advanced
>economies has been met by a frenzied and increasingly speculative wave
of
>globalisation as huge stock-piles of Western capital range unregulated
>across the world in pursuit of profits."
>
>The statement said blame for the world financial crisis was placed on
>"unwise borrowing" in "emerging markets". "The fact is that for every
>unwise borrowing in the South there is usually an unwise lender in the
North."
>"In the end, of course, it is neither the unwise borrowers nor lenders
who
>suffer the most acute consequences of the crisis. It is millions of
poor
>farmers, workers and unemployed in Indonesia, Brazil, Russia and
Africa."
>The Jubilee 2000 South Africa campaign is part of the International
>Jubilee 2000 Coalition.
>
>
>
>
>
>: : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :
>
>"It goes on one at a time,
>it starts when you care to act,
>it starts when you do it again after they said no,
>it starts when you say We and know who you mean,
>and each day you mean one more." --Marge Piercy
>
>
>Njoki Njoroge Njehû
>Director
>50 Years Is Enough Network
>1247 E Street, SE
>Washington, DC 20003 - USA
>Phone: 202/IMF-BANK; 202/544-9355
>Fax: 202/544-9359
>Email: wb50...@igc.org
>Web: http://www.50years.org
>
>
>
>
>
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