class action lawsuit against Daimler AG over Apartheid

SOUTH AFRICA
Apartheid lawsuit against Daimler
South African President Jacob Zuma has abandoned its stance against damages claims by victims of the former apartheid regime. The government now supports the billion lawsuits against Daimler, Rheinmetall and other multinational companies.

Johannesburg / Stuttgart - South Africa supported in a surprising U-turn now but U.S. cases of apartheid victims against international corporations, including Daimler and Rheinmetall. In a letter to the appropriate U.S. District Court said Justice Minister Jeff Radebe, his government has changed its stance. The American court is the right forum to investigate the violations of international law.




Support the lawsuit against Daimler: South Africa's President Zuma
Human rights groups in South Africa praised the decision as a success for their cause. Several thousand victims had asserted in 2002 in class actions, the company would have supported through their collaboration with the apartheid regime violence and racial segregation in the 1970s and 1980s in South Africa. The allegations were initially dismissed. 2007 decreed a U.S. appeals court, however, re-examination.
In addition, Daimler and Rheinmetall, the U.S. carmaker Ford and General Motors, as well as the technology giant IBM are affected. The Government of Zuma's predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, had argued that the actions could prejudice the international relations and therefore refused to support.

Daimler consider the complaint to be unfounded and was confident to decide the case in his favor, a spokeswoman said on Friday in Stuttgart. In addition to its economic relations, the Group had also socially very involved in South Africa and therefore deliberately chose to remain in the country during the apartheid regime in order to support the people can.

In addition, the company had on the allegations made in 1998/99 the so-called Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)) in South Africa position. No further questions or accusations were directed more to the Group.

The Company is engaged, according to the spokeswoman in South Africa since the early 90s for the social integration of people infected with HIV. Also was the former DaimlerChrysler CEO Jürgen Schrempp of South Africa's highest award for foreign individuals, "The Order of Good Help," was personally honored by the South African President Nelson Mandela. That shows the attitude of the group.

In their class action suit from 2002 South African apartheid victims of five German and 15 international companies in a U.S. court had demanded compensation class action. The action of the U.S. attorney Michael Hausfeld, who represents the interests of a group of 33,000 victims at the time was against companies like UBS and Credit Suisse, Daimler, Rheinmetall, Commerzbank, the German bank Dresdner Bank.
The company is alleged to have contravened the UN Security Council imposed arms embargo against South Africa in 1977 or profits from slave-like conditions in the apartheid state. Only the five German companies have achieved through economic ties with the apartheid regime in the last years of its existence gains of 4.2 billion euros.

Daimler and Rheinmetall is accused of involvement in arms deals with the apartheid regime. So Rheinmetall had "delivered under false pretenses a complete ammunition filling plant in Paraguay to South Africa" ​​in 1977, it was then the German support groups for information of the action. Daimler had delivered a year later in 2500 Unimog off-road vehicles and those classified as a vehicle for non-military use. In fact, the Unimog standard equipment of the South African Army had become.