Newspaper Page Text
2A
JULY 15, 1999
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AFRICA K
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Nigerian radicals claim
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attacks against wells in
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oil-producing region
WThe capture of oil facilities is
common throughout Nigeria’s
Niger Delta, where most of the
country’s oil is drilled.
(AP) Activists in southern Nigeria claimed
Thursday to have captured and shut down 61 oil
wells and a pipeline flow station operated by Shell
Co. in an effort to pressure the government for
development funds. :
Activists also ejected Shell workers from the
wells in the southern states of Egbema East and
Egbema West, said Niger Delta Front Forum
official Osundi Chimokwu.
'The daily Champion newspaper in Lagos quoted
a Shell spokesman, Eme Ekekwe, as confirming
attacks on Shell stations had been carried out.
Meanwhile, another activist group in southern
Nigeria, the Oguta Oil Field Land Owners Asso
ciation, threatened to capture and close down oil
wells throughout the Oguta state.
The capture of oil platforms, wells and pipeline
stations by activists and militant youths is com
mon throughout Nigeria’s Niger Delta, where
most of the country’s oil is drilled.
The most recent protests were linked to the
apparent omission of the three states — Oguta,
Egbema East and Egbema West — in a new
commission appointed by the government to fight
poverty throughout the states of the Niger Delta.
The commission will draw its funds from a new tax
on oil companies.
A government official who spoke on condition of
anonymity said the omission was a mistake and
was being corrected.
Nigeria is the world’s sixth largest exporter of
oil, which brings in billions of dollars each year in
profits. The Delta was sorely neglected by a
succession of corrupt military leaders whorobbed -
most of the country’s 0;1 wealth.
Abu-Jamal
denies report
PHILADELPHIA
(AP) Death row inmate Mumia
Abu-Jamal says a magazine ar
ticle that reports he expressed
regret for killing a police officer is
‘a“rumor-turned-lie.”
The condemned journalist, who
has maintained his innocence,
released a statement from prison
Friday night, saying the maga
zine was wrong and that he had
never been contacted about the
.allegation by former prison volun
.teer Philip Bloch.
. “Alieisalie,” Abu-Jamal saidin
.he statement. “I find it remark
:able that this rumor-turned-lie
! vas never brought to my atten
::ion by the author, by Mr. Bloch
‘lmself or by Vanity Fair maga
‘ sine, which never contacted me.”
: Bloch, who befriended Abu
* lTamal through his work with the
rison reform organization Penn
+iylvania Prison Society, told Van
- ty Fair magazine in its August
: ssue that he came forward be
«.ause of his “disgust” with the
- actics of those who believe Abu
: 'amal was wrongly convicted.
« The former Black Panther was
- onvicted of killing officer Daniel
‘aulkner in 1981. Police arriving
i t the scene found the dying of
» icer and a wounded Abu-Jamal
* ying near his own gun, and sev
¢ ral witnesses identified him as
» he shooter. An officer and hospi
% al worker testified during the
rial that Abu-Jamal confessed to
he killing.
Abu-Jamal contends he is inno
ent and blames his conviction on
biased judge and an ineffective
awyer. His writings and efforts to
7in a new trial have attracted
rorldwide attention. '
. “Mr. Bloch wanted his 15 min
* ‘tes of fame, in which case I hope
E e has received it,” Abu-Jamal
. aid. “Welcome to snuff journal
sm.”
E The article’s author Buzz
: Jissinger wrote that attempts to
s ontact Abu-Jamal and his law
i/er, Leonard Weinglass, were
.insuccessful, The Associated
‘’ress also was unsuccessful in
eaching Weinglass.
AUGUSTA FOCUS
S. Africa faces gold slowdown
BAs gold prices plummet and production costs
increase, tens of thousands face layoffs. The
transport and telecommunj%ipfns industry also
expect downturns. i 11
By Pat Reber
ASSOCIATED PRESS Writer
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
South Africa is bracing for tens
of thousands of job losses in the
gold, transport and telecommuni
cations industries, part of a con
tinuing drive to make private and
public companies more competi
tive. '
In the past week, numerous re
ports have circulated of 27,000 pos
sible job cuts by national train
operator Spoornet, 10,000 by tele
communications provider Telkom
and another 11,700 in the gold
mining industry.
“The impact ... on local econo
mies is difficult to calculate, but
the threat facing individuals and
their families could spread to whole
communities,” wrote The Star in
Johannesburg in an editorial on
Monday.
Last week, 5,000 miners were
laid off at the East Rand Propri
etary Minesin Johannesburg, one
of the country’s oldest firms forced
to close by high production costs
and low gold prices.
South African industry and gov
ernment shed 500,000 jobs in the
past five years, officials have said.
These included 315,000 in the pri
vate sector and another 100 000 in
the civil service, according to me
dia reports.
With 42 percent unemployment
among the country’s majority black
population, the issue was a major
theme of recent elections, when
President Thabo Mbeki pledged to
attract foreign investment to boost
jobs.
But at the same time, he prom
ised to crackdown on waste in gov
ernment, which would result in
some layoffs. .. . . ...
“Public Enterprises Minster Jeff
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Radebe on Monday said the elimi
nation of up to 27,000 jobs at
Spoornet was only one of several
options being considered for pub
lic-owned companies that were
being privatized.
“Any reports that imminent re
trenchments are on hand are pre
mature to say the least, ” he said.
Transnet, which runs
Spoornet’strain service and other
transport companies, lost S6B
million last year. Since 1994,
Spoornet alone has cut 16,000
jobs; it currently employs 48,000.
“For a government that has
promised to put job creation at
the top of its agenda, the past few
weeks look like a disaster of epic
proportions,” said an editorial last
week in Business Day, the
country’s leading business news
paper in Johannesburg.
Critics charge that the ruling
African National Congress waited
until after the elections to re
lease the bad mews, in order to
keep together the alliance of trade
unions and the Communist Party
forged during the anti-apartheid
struggle.
“All these cutdowns are done
after the elections because gov
ernment had to keep the tripar
tite alliance together,” said Dirk
Hermann of the Mineworker’s
Union.
To add pressure on the govern
ment, three public service unions
— representing about 500,000
teachers, health workers and po
lice — launched low-key job ac
tions on Monday to push for 10
percent salary increases.
Government has offered only
5.7 percent, less than the 7 per
cent inflation rate. With 1 million
public service employees, the gov
ernment spends about 50 percent
of its budget on salaries.
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HARD HIT
Miners arrives for a shift at the East Rand Proprietary Gold Mine
(ERPM) in Boksburg, South Africa, Friday, July 9, 1999. The mine, one of
South Africa’s oldest gold mines, is going out of business, a victim of
the declining gold price and the government’s refusal to grant any
more bailouts. Gold’s ancient status as the ultimate store of value is
fading, and miners in gold-producing nations are suffering the sever
est pain.(APPhoto/str)
Augusta Focus ig‘a Walker Group publ__ication.
Black Baptists broke?
From page one
mation League of B'nai B'rith to
rebuild burned black churches in
the South.
Five years ago, Lyons beat
Richardson for the presidency.
Richardson said thatifthe church
doesn’ttakefiscal power away from
the president, the next president
might be tempted to sin, too. In
view of the problems, it’s no sur
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prise that some member churches
have ducked paying the
denomination’s state and national
dues.
Most St. Louis pastors had sup
ported Richardson five years ago
when he lost to Lyons.
The church has struggled to pay
off the debt from its $lO million
world headquarters in Nashville,
Tenn. In the past, its presidents
haveexpected thelocal churches to
serve the national organization.