book extract
Harry Oppenheimer: Balancing Anglo’s apartheid ledger
When the TRC called on the mining industry to account for its role in apartheid, Anglo American’s response alternated between defence and concession, writes Michael Cardo in Harry Oppenheimer: Diamonds, Gold and Dynasty
The Truth & Reconciliation Commission (TRC), chaired by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, with Alex Boraine (a former Methodist cleric and Anglo American employee) as his understudy, was suffused with the spirit of religiosity. It combined the sanctity of the church and the authority of the courthouse with the emotional intensity of the ancient Roman Colosseum.
In written statements and at public hearings, thousands of apartheid’s victims recounted deeply moving stories of death and dehumanisation. The world wept with them as they relived their pain. It was a heart-rending spectacle expertly choreographed by Tutu — a cleansing ceremony designed to exorcise South Africa’s demons, a necessary prophylaxis against collective amnesia...
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