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- A Stuijt
- Retired South African medical journalist, ex-Sunday Times of Johannesburg.
Civil rights group battles for private land-rights in SA, Zimbabwe
11:31 | 
Posted by
A Stuijt |
R2-million Zim gov’t luxury house confiscated in Kenilworth on behalf of 79 farmers…
2010-03-31 CAPE TOWN. The civil rights group AfriForum had to wage drawn-out court battles in the law courts of three southern African countries -- but on Wednesday they personally confiscated a R2-million property at Nr 28 Salisbury Road in Kenilworth, Western Cape -- which was registered as a non-diplomatic property belonging to the Zimbabwean government.
Afriforum’s move was backed up by Mr Moreboys Munetsi from the Zimbabwe Foundation for Fairness and Justice, who also attended the confiscation procedures. Its current tenant Gavin Benny will not be asked to vacate the house, said Afriforum lawyer Willie Spies while serving the court order.
Spies said the attachment was not a recovery for damages for farmers who had lost their land. It was, he said, "a symbolic gesture to show it is possible to enforce legal principles against Zimbabwean government in South Africa".
- Meanwhile, a warning by Rural Development and Land Reform Minister Gugile Nkwinti that ‘commercial farmers must co-operate to avoid a situation in South Africa "worse than Zimbabwe" -- has drawn sharp reaction from the agricultural union TAU SA. Nkwinti's statements, reportedly made during a recent interview with eNews, were "irresponsible", TAU SA president Ben Marais said yesterday. "We see Minister Nkwinti's remarks as an ill-camouflaged threat to farmers that their land can be occupied the Zimbabwe way if they are not prepared to give their land away," he said.
AfriForum’s confiscation rights to the Zimbabwe landed-property in South Africa followed after the latest ruling by the North-Gauteng High Court, which granted Afriforum the confiscation rights and ordered the Zimbabwe government to also pay AfriForum’s court costs of R150,000.
Lawyer Willie Spies said this was just the start: they are also still demanding the right to confiscate three more Zimbabwean-government properties, namely at Nr 53 and 55 Kuyper Street in the suburb of Zonnebloem; and Nr 46A Tennant Street in Wynberg. Mr Spies personally took the court documents granting the confiscation to Nr 28 Salisbury Road.
Zimbabwe’s dictator Robert Mugabe had dismissed the 2008 Namibian tribunal’s ruling in favour of farmers Michael Campbell and another 78 co-respondents who all were thrown off their land as ‘rubbish and meaningless.’ However in June 2009 the tribunal issued contempt of court ruling – which was registered legally in February this year in the North-Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. This allowed AfriForum to obtain the confiscation orders in the South African judicial system.
Zimbabwe has lost its constitutional rights as a developing nation:
Spies says this confiscation is ‘a symbolic victory for the people of Zimbabwe who had given up all hope. This also demonstrates the basic principles of fairness and justice. This also proves that the Zimbabwean regime has lost its constitutional rights as a developing nation’.
- http://www.volksblad.com/Content/Suid-Afrika/Nuus/2114/fc2d3801af0144eab12ff07a913fb05b/31-03-2010-01-12/AfriForum_l%C3%AA_beslag_op_Zim-eiendom
- http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=5412293
FAMINE LOOMS IN SOUTH AFRICA -- AS BLACK FARMING VENTURES FOLD – WARNING
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=561&fArticleId=5412312
White Joburg business community targets of blue-light gangs
'Blue light gang or cops” execute top Autozone/Partcorp businessman Peter Granat, 54
2010-03-31 Johannesburg – Autozone company’s hard-working managing director Peter Granat, 54, was shot dead execution-style by alleged "blue light" robbers (or cops). SAPS capt Cynthia Magoai told The Star newspaper that Mr Granat – who ran a staff of 2,500 people at Autozone, the sole supplier for the SAPS’ autoparts -- was shot dead execution-style in Parkwood by “robbers using fake blue lights to imitate police.” It’s a puzzle how she could know whether these were ‘fake cops’ or not -- since no-one was taken in for questioning. Mr Granat was widely known for his lobbying with the ANC-regime to stop the dumping of cheap and often dangerous imported Asian motor-parts on the SA market. http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/e421a893126a44b79588907e2d0417ab/31-03-2010-08-44/Blue_light_gang_kills_businessman
His body was found next to his Toyota Land Cruiser. The police had not volunteered this news: the Star had to approach them for comment two days after hearing about the horrific execution-style murder - in which the unarmed top businessman was lured to a dark alley between Bolton and Wells streets and then shot dead with one bullet into the head.
The newspaper reported that several hijackings targetting whites in the upmarket suburbs of Sandton, Randburg, Douglasdale and Midrand had already been carried out by such “gangs” in unmarked cars with a blue light on the dashboard. Granat was the hands-on managing director at the crucial auto-parts headoffice – which is the exclusive parts-provider to the SA Police Service in eight provinces.His head-office is located at 111 Mimetes Road, Denver Tel: 011-620 2700 http://www.news24.com/Content/SouthAfrica/News/1059/e421a893126a44b79588907e2d0417ab/31-03-2010-08-44/Blue_light_gang_kills_businessman
This was the driven business leader whose skills now are forever lost to South Africa:
In an interview with the Financial Times in Johannesburg on 28 June 2002, it was revealed that Granat was an optimistic, hardworking businessman – and very skilled at his highly technical job. Auto Parts is the exclusive parts-provider to the SA Police Service in eight provinces. In 2002, the Police Service was putting 25,000 vehicles through workshops each month.
He became MD of Auto Parts in April 2000 – in charge of what was then a staff of 1,800 people – which has since swelled to 2,500, 120 of them at the Denver warehousewhere Granat had his office. "When we took over from Chariots, the business already had a nice platform," he says. "But its running needed to be improved; it needed to be energised. "I've got a fantastic team of people; the whole building is energised." Many of the division's parts (60%) were made in SA in 2002. They included GUD filters, Gabriel shock absorbers, LUK clutches and much more.
In addition, Auto Parts buys hundreds of millions of rands' worth of stock a year from 25 countries, including the US and Australia. An IT staff of 35 works on the Denver computer system and a forecasting algorithm smoothes out any stock abnormalities. Granat: "We have 110,00 parts in 60 locations, so you couldn't run a business this size without real horsepower in the computer," says Granat. "We run 12-month forecasting modules that take 60-day lead times into account and shipment times. "For example, when our site in Randburg doesn't have a part, the computer will show them the nearest store that does. We can promise the customer that before 10 am the next morning that part will be at his garage. We give an overnight guarantee. We've grown because we've optimised our whole supply chain," says Granat. "I really believe we've got the stock optimisation in this industry. In the parts industry, we're number one."
Lobbying government to stop cheap dangerous Chinese autoparts imports:
One of Granat's major concerns was the ‘grey imports” -- cheap, low-spec parts that can be life-threatening. They are brought into SA from Asia. "It gives what we do a really bad name," he says.
"You get brake pads from China that have no (quality control) at all. A taxi driver has an accident and gets the blame, but it's the parts' fault." The Retail Motor Industry Federation has been lobbying the ANC-government to halt these grey imports at the entry ports. And Auto Parts has also formed an industry forum to tackle the problem, working closely with the Department of Customs & Excise.”
Among Auto Parts' 1 800 staff, more than 800 have more than eight years' service. The central warehouse at Denver is a model facility. Everyone's performance is monitored: a radio frequency standard checks warehouse pick rates. "The average picking rate is 30 lines an hour, if a guy's picking 20 lines, he's sick or he's loafing," said Granat. Every quarter more than a dozen R1,000 vouchers are distributed among the 120 warehouse staff, as awards for the best driver, most improved fitter and most improved team member. Auto Parts is the exclusive parts provider to the SA Police Service in eight provinces. The Police Service puts 25 000 vehicles through workshops each month - that's a lot of parts. http://free.financialmail.co.za/report/supergroup/fsuper.htm
The Star reports that Granat's death comes in the wake of an email from the Sunninghill Community Association that warned of an "alarming trend" noted by Sandton police. It said that hijackings in the Sandton, Randburg, Douglasdale and Midrand were being carried out by thugs in "unmarked vehicles with blue lights on the dashboard". The suspects were apparently in full police uniforms and targeted expensive vehicles, took control of them and "dumped" the victims in remote spots.
- The email alert said cars like Audi A4s, VW Golfs and Toyota RunXs were involved in the hijackings and that as many as four robbers at a time carried out the hits.
Police spokesman Superintendent Eugene Opperman said people should endeavour to ask officers for proper identification, in the form of an appointment certificate. Failing that, they could drive slowly to a petrol station, shopping centre, fire station or police station - "anywhere where there is people", he said.
The email went further: it advised people to call 10111 before stopping anywhere. Autozone employs more than 2 500 staff and has a contract to supply spare car parts to the police. http://www.thestar.co.za/?fSectionId=&fArticleId=vn20100331041345768C454924
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