New York - Leading industrialist and philanthropist David Rockefeller said, after meeting President Thabo Mbeki on Wednesday, that he and other American business leaders were so impressed with the South African situation that he was certain investment funds would continue to flow into the country.
Rockefeller and his daughter, Peggy Dulaney, hosted a breakfast for heads of some of America's largest companies to meet Mbeki. At a news conference after the breakfast, Rockefeller said: "The investment community in this country is encouraged by the smooth transition in South Africa, first to the government of Mr Mandela and then, because Mr Mandela was so extraordinarily well received, they were pleased that Mr Mbeki was able to carry on that tradition very successfully."
The breakfast was attended by CEOs of companies such as Xerox, Shell, JP Morgan, Merrill Lynch, Chase Manhattan, Citibank, Coca-Cola and Goldman Sachs. Investment guru George Soros was also present.
Dulaney said the list represented a distinguished group that reflected the levels of interest in South Africa and the confidence the investment community had in Mbeki.
Rockefeller said the audience had received a briefing from Mbeki with enthusiasm. "Obviously, there are some problems about crime and corruption, but these will be found not only in South Africa. In general, the business community has a very favourable attitude."
Mbeki said afterwards: "These people are already active in South Africa and do not need an introduction, so I gave them an overview of the situation. They were interested in everything, from how the economy is behaving to the relationship between the government and the unions, restructuring of state assets and management of the budget."
Recent labour disputes were not discussed; the industrialists were more interested in the broader question of the nature of the relationship between the government and the unions.
"I did not get any sense of concern that something was out of hand that would make people change from the positive to the negative," said Mbeki.
He believed the investors he had met would spread the word about South Africa in the wider business community.