Apartheid victims suing international companies for “aiding and abetting” will consider turning down an out-of-court settlement. They want their case concluded in court so as to set a precedent that will prevent multinationals from colluding criminally with repressive governments.
Daimler Chrysler, Ford, Fujitsu, General Motors, International Business Machines (IBM) and Rheinmetall are among the companies being sued.
All operated in the country under apartheid and are accused of taking part in gross human-rights violations such as disappearances, arbitrary and prolonged detentions without trial, assault and injury, as well as extrajudicial killings.
The initial claim filed in 2002 was for $40-billion, but the latest court papers do not quantify the damages sought. The South African government this week performed a turnabout on the civil action by offering to assist the plaintiffs.
