2009/05/02
This is the second part of the Fouad Kamil story
IN FEBRUARY – after more than 20 years since we first made contact – I received a surprise e-mail from the notorious hijacker.
Fouad (Flash Fred) Kamil was still alive, 83 years old and living in Brazil.
He told me that after his release from prison and he was back in Europe, he met with Colonel Floris Van Zijl, who had taken over as head of Anglo security in place of Colonel George Visser.
Kamil said he and Van Zijl had not met before but that during his trial in Malawi he had noticed the former policeman sitting among the Anglo American observers.
Settling down at a table in an unfrequented part of a restaurant, Van Zijl told Kamil that Oppenheimer had been perplexed about his actions – especially since Visser, when he retired, had taken with him all records and documents relating to him.
Kamil said he was astonished, especially after he had written several letters to Oppenheimer, explaining the whole affair from beginning to end. “Fred, I assure you, he never received them,” said Van Zijl. “Your allegations must have appeared incredible. Anyway, the chairman is very concerned and has sent me in person to listen to your story and settle the dispute.”
Kamil said Van Zijl agreed there was a case to answer, and that a settlement should be made in stages.
“He assured me that the chairman had known nothing about my dispute ...,” Van Zijl then produced a bank draft for £50103. “I’ve brought you this draft, and all you’ve got to do is to sign the receipt.”
“I accepted the bank draft. But later on, he refused to pay the balance until I had handed over a file containing documents relating to Anglo’s activities in Africa. Van Zijl refused to meet my demand and my struggle went on.”
Kamil says it was obvious that lawyer Abe Swersky had passed on his threatening message to Oppenheimer and his attorney, CH Geach, as a result of which, out of the blue, in early October 1988, Geach invited Melanie to his office and asked her to phone him and convey good news from Oppenheimer.
Oppenheimer, via his attorney, said he valued Kamil’s services during the past and agreed that he had worked under difficult conditions.
“Therefore driven by sympathy, he offered to deposit R250 000 in an Anglo American trust fund for the education and welfare of my children. This, of course, would be in full and final settlement of my prescribed claims.”
Kamil wrote to Geach. He rejected the offer.
“No court, judge or anyone else can possibly measure or assess the injuries; social, psychological and physical, unjustly and ruthlessly inflicted by the Anglo American Corporation upon members of my family and myself during 18 of the best years of our lives,” he wrote.
“I know no words to describe the anguish, suffering, humiliations and insults I have endured during those years and the end is not yet in sight.”
Kamil felt that Oppenheimer was merely adding his family to Anglo’s charity lists.
“Therefore, my cause justifies any course of action I choose to take until I am fully satisfied that one way or another, justice is done,” he told Geach.
“Swersky wrote to inform me that he had discussed my claims with Oppenheimer and Geach, the result of which Oppenheimer increased the peace offer to R350 000. This of course, would require that I unconditionally and finally withdraw all allegations of improper conduct against Anglo American and their officials and acknowledge that I have no further claim of whatsoever nature, however arising, against Anglo American and their executives and former executives.
“Their offer was so contemptuous and humiliating that I did not even bother to reply.”
In the 20 years or so that we did not have contact things have changed for Kamil. He wrote to me earlier this year:
“I am well and fit. My fight against Anglo American and De Beers and diamonds has been very costly. The South African authorities refused to give my wife a passport. Finally my family was split, my wife Melanie is now in Australia, she often visits me here in Brazil and I am hoping that she will join me in the near future. My daughter Danielle is settled in Cape Town and son, Riad, in the US.
“My threats, hijacking, operations, against the Anglo American diamond giant worked like a pin prick in the hide of an elephant. But, after a long struggle, the unapproachable, mighty chairman, Harry Oppenheimer, who denied that I had ever worked for his groups, finally climbed down from his high horse and wrote me the attached letter which began with “Dear” and ended with “yours sincerely” – to a man he and his group labelled a terrorist and extorter.
“A couple of weeks later, US$115000 was transferred from their Swiss bank to my account.” - By EDDIE BOTHA
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