The litigation will come before the Second Circuit Court of Appeal 6 January, 2010.
If the court dismisses the appeal application of the defendant companies on that occasion, one more attempt by the defendant corporations to have the case dismissed will have been overcome in the long struggle to bring the case to trial.
On 8 April, 2009, Judge Scheindlen expressed the opinion that there should be no further delays in bringing the case to trial. She asserted that the case takes forward the important work of the South African Tru th and Reconciliation Commission and in no way conflicts with its objectives.
Cosatu's Patrick Craven said that the federation's decision to enter the case as an amicus curiae rests on the belief that the apartheid system was based on the white South African minority striving to secure a cheap and pliant workforce to reap the benefits of the country's vast natural resources, in particular its mineral wealth.
'Our members were thus among the worst affected, and our organisations were at the forefront of the anti-apartheid movement,' Craven said.
Three weeks ago, the US Government asked a US Appeals Court to dismiss an attempt by companies to have the reparations claims thrown out of court.
The move by the Obama administration has dashed the hopes of Ford, General Motors, Daimler-Chrysler, Rheinmetall and IBM which have based their arguments for the claims to be dismissed on previous concerns expressed by the US and South Africa - that their foreign relations would be damaged by the claims.
Cape Town - Pana 14/12/2009
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