East London - The Pan Africanist Congress on Saturday called on Sanlam and Mercedes-Benz to compensate victims of apartheid.
Hundreds of PAC members marched to the offices of Sanlam and Mercedes-Benz in East London to hand over a memorandum of demands. The party accused both companies of "supporting and sustaining apartheid", even after it was declared a crime against humanity by the United Nations.
PAC deputy leader Mzwanele Nyontso said Sanlam was set up by the Afrikaner Broederbond and benefited by millions of rand through a loan granted by the South African Reserve Bank. Mercedes-Benz continued to do business with the apartheid government, including "producing armoured vehicles and weapons" that were used to suppress people, he said.
Speaking to media after the marches Nyontso said, "We are calling on both companies to compensate the victims of apartheid according to [the] Truth and Reconciliation Commission [TRC]." He said the TRC had recommended a percentage of each company's profits be donated to a trust fund for apartheid victims. Both companies had been given 30 days to respond to the PAC's memorandum.
The PAC also commemorated its 60th birthday and launched its 2019 elections provincial manifesto on Saturday. PAC Eastern Cape chairman Sandla Goqwana said the manifesto was different to that of other parties, because "it doesn't seek to put patches over the failed deal of 1994".
"We are the only party that can change the economy of this country and in [the] Eastern Cape we can turn Port St John's into [the] economic hub of the province, like Stellenbosch in [the] Western Cape," said Goqwana.