African Activist Archive

Mailing with a cover letter signed by Donna Katzin, Director, South Africa Programs. The mailing says for more years than we would like to remember, we have worked hard together with the South African liberation and democratic movements to abolish apartheid; with the recent call by Nelson Mandela and others to lift sanctions and promote South Africa's democratic development, we have reached a historic turning point; the question now before us is how to build on our existing organization and partnerships to support South Africa's continuing quest for justice, reconstruction and peace. The mailing says at ICCR we are working closely with the South African Council of Churches (SACC) and Southern African Catholic Bishops Conference (SACBC), as well as other democratic organizations, on questions of corporate responsibility in the emerging South Africa. The mailing says last July the SACC issued a Code of Business Conduct for companies operating in South Africa; the Code is the product of more than two years of work by the SACC/SACBC Task Force on Economic Matters, in consultation with a broad range of other groups, including the ANC, PAC, COSATU and company representatives; though overseas institutions have produced standards for business in South Africa in the past, this code articulates the priorities of democratic South African organizations. The mailing says corporate practice during this transitional time will set the precedents for business behavior in South Africa during the next phase of its history. The mailing says the Code is not only an important first step toward corporate responsibility in South Africa; it is also a useful tool by which we can assess the South African activities of multinational companies based in our own countries, and increase their accountability at home and abroad. The mailing says ICCR members are encouraging U.S. companies to (re)invest in South Africa in keeping with the standards outlined in the Code, and to issue a statement to that effect; at the same time we are also looking for ways to help the SACC raise badly needed start-up funds to create a mechanism in South Africa to implement the Code. The mailing says we hope you will urge any multi-national corporations with which you have contact to commit to abide by the SACC Code in South Africa; moreover, if you know any potential sources of founding to launch the implementation of the Code, please let us or the SACC know. The mailing says it will be important to keep in touch during this transitional time; we look forward to hearing your plans as together we enter the next phase of South Africa's history. The mailing includes CODE OF CONDUCT FOR BUSINESS OPERATING IN SOUTH AFRICA: QUESTIONS and ANSWERS. The mailing discusses the ANC (African National Congress), PAC (Pan Africanist Congress), and COSATU (Congress of South African Trade Unions).

African Activist Archive

[Dear friends and partners in the struggle to end apartheid: For more years than we would like to remember, we have worked hard together with the South African liberation and democratic movements to abolish apartheid.]

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