Activities of Transnational Corporations in South Africa
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Activities of Transnational Corporations in South Africa http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nuun1978_09 Use of the Aluka digital library is subject to Aluka’s Terms and Conditions, available at http://www.aluka.org/page/about/termsConditions.jsp. By using Aluka, you agree that you have read and will abide by the Terms and Conditions. Among other things, the Terms and Conditions provide that the content in the Aluka digital library is only for personal, non-commercial use by authorized users of Aluka in connection with research, scholarship, and education. The content in the Aluka digital library is subject to copyright, with the exception of certain governmental works and very old materials that may be in the public domain under applicable law. Permission must be sought from Aluka and/or the applicable copyright holder in connection with any duplication or distribution of these materials where required by applicable law. Aluka is a not-for-profit initiative dedicated to creating and preserving a digital archive of materials about and from the developing world. For more information about Aluka, please see http://www.aluka.org Activities of Transnational Corporations in South Africa Alternative title Notes and Documents - United Nations Centre Against ApartheidNo. 9/78 Author/Creator United Nations Centre against Apartheid; Seidman, Ann W.; Makgetla, Neva Publisher United Nations, New York Date 1978-05-00 Resource type Reports Language English Subject Coverage (spatial) South Africa Coverage (temporal) 1965 - 1978 Source Northwestern University Libraries Description Transnational investments in strategic sectors of South Africa's economy. Format extent 98 page(s) (length/size) http://www.aluka.org/action/showMetadata?doi=10.5555/AL.SFF.DOCUMENT.nuun1978_09 http://www.aluka.org N OTES AND D&GUMENTS. N OTES AND D&GUMENTS. 9/78 ,- , , I I. Z . lJf 1978 v-: r7 ; r9 Aft a ACTIVITIES OF TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA by Ann W. Seidman and Neva Makgetla !Note: This paper, prepared by Ann W. Seidman and Neva Makgetla is published at the request of the Special Committee against Apartheid. Professor Seidman is Visiting Professor in the Economics Department Of the University of Massachusetts - Amherst, and Affiliate Professor in the International Studies Programme at Clark University, Worcester (Mass.). She is the author of a number of books and articles on the economies and development of southern Africa. Mrs. Makgetla is a student at Harvard University. The views expressed are those of the authors.]7 7 8-1phP * All material in these notes and documents may be freely reprinted. Acknowledgement, together with a copy of the publication containing the reprint, would be appreciated. -i Introduction........* ... , . .o . 1 A.Aimofthisreport.................... 3 B. Overall pattern of foreign investment . ..... ... 4 II. Transnational investments in strategic sectors of South Africa's economy.0.. ... .*# ..*................ 11 A. Basic manufacturing industries . .. .. .. .. .. U i 1.Overview...*** ..,.& ..# ............. 1 a.Reasonsforinvestment... ....... .....,,. Ui b. South African military market ...... *..... .. 12 c. Manufacturinginvestment bycountryof origin.. .. .. 16 2.IronandSteel.... ........*&# .. *** ...* 20 a.ISCOR ........... * ......... ....o20 b. United Kingdom steel companies. ..... .... .... 21 c. Steel companies from Federal Republic of Germany .. .. * . * 24 d. United States steel companies ........ ... .. 25 e. The Japanese steel market .... ......... 25 f. Israeli steel interest o . o . 26 3e Chemicals ....................e & , . ...... 26 a. Role in South African industry .... .. .. 26 b. Imperial Chemicals Industries of the United Kingdom . 27 c. Sentrachem, the South African chemicals parastatal . .. 29 d. Hoechst and BASF of the Federal Republic of Germany . 30 e. United States chemicals firms.*oo ******** oo 31 4. Motorvehicles... .... ..**..*.....&.#*.31 a.A"choseninstrument"..0a0*0.#0a*.*0.0.0**31 b. United States auto firms: General Motors, Ford, Chrysler........ ... ..&** ..o a .. 32 c. British Leyland...... ..... * * & o * e * * * 34 d. Daimler-Benz and Volkswagen . * . *. * * * * 34 e. Japanesefirms'involvement. *....* ** .***** 36 f.Frenchfirms . a a*eo**ea* a*38 g. Wages and working conditions in auto industry . .. * 38 -Pag 5. Electrical equipment and appliances . o * o * . o * o * 41 a.Boleintheeconomy. *o *.... ** . oo&o 41 b. United States firms: General Electric, ITT and Sperry Band .. .. .. ... ... .. .. 41 c. United Kingdom electrical firms... .... .... .. 42 d. Electrical firus from the Federal Republic of Germany0........... ** ** * **** 3 e. Growing French involvement......... * . o o . 44 f.Philips........**.******.***. * * 44 g. Japaneselcencedbusiness... ........... 45 h. Swiss electrial firms , i .. .. .. .. .. 46 i*Computers..... ............. ...o* 46 6. Nucleartechnology... .....o.. .......... 48 a. Implications for South African economy. a ..... .. 48 b. Federal Republic of Germany contribution. ... ....... 49 c. United States involvement...... ............ 51 d. International competition and the French "victory". .. 52 7. Rubber. .... * .......oa&*....*53 a. Dunlop, United Kingdom . .. .. .. .. 53 b. Goodyear and Firestone, United States . * * * . 53 c. Japanese and United States co-operation........... 54 8. Otherindustries. .............. &.. ..... 54 a. Engineering................. ...... 54 b. achinery except electric, ............... 55 c. M(iscellaneous industries . .. .. a. .. 57 B. Oil idustry ." . 59 1. SouthAfrica'sexternaldependence........... * .. 59 a.TheroleofSASOL.**....0060*.*...0#... 59 b. Transnational oil compeny exploration. ........... 60 -iii 2. Transnational oil refineries in South Africa.. , * . * * . * * , 1 a. shell and BP.................... o . 61 b. Mobil....,,. ... o .*.*..*.**.*..*..62 c. Standard Oil of California and Texaco. .... 63 d. Compagnie Franaise des Petroles/Total. ....... 63 C.Mining.... .... ..o& ..a..*...***. 64& 1. Economic background . .. * .......... 64 2. UnitedKingdominvestments.... .....&.,........... 64 a. Anglo-American. ........ * -a o o... 64 b. Goldfields South Africa .................... 64 c. RioTintoZinc. ... ................... 66 d. Lonrho.oo ........................ 66 3. United States direct investment . .. .. .0. 67 a. Overview........................... 67 b. EngelhardMineralsandChemicalsCorporation......... 67 c. AMAX .. .oao aooo o,..* .ooo *o. 68 do Newuont.....,... ..........,....., 68 e. PhelpsDodge.... ... ... ..o......... 68 4. Minatome-French uranium-mining company . o o . * 0 0 a 0 0 0 0 69 5. DiamondIndustry-DeBeers...o. ............... 69 6. Otherrecentminingprojects .................oo 69 D. Transnaticnal banking and finance corporations . o 72 l. Difficulties of obtaining data . .... ...... 72 2. Transnational banks with South African branches or subsidiaries . o . 73 a.BarclaysGroup....... .. .. 0* 0* 0a** # .... 73 b.Standard Bankof South Africa. o o o o ooo0 0 0 0 0 a0 . 76 co Hilsam.... ... ... ..ooooooo# 6 -iv- d. Citicorp/Citibank...........* * * . * * * 76 e. Chase pnhattanBank.................... 77 f. Bank of America ............... o o o o o o o 77 g. TheFrenchBank... .... ..... ... oo*o 78 h. UDC ..*.* . * v.......*...... 78 i. Role of transnational affiliate banks in South Africa'seconomy..o................. 79 3. Transnational banks as wholesalers for credit to South Africa o . 82 a. Federal Republic of Germany banksbio. , o nn s. .. ... .. 82 b, Swissbanks.*o.*****o*. * #*.. **.* a 83 c. The Japanese connexion....... .*.o * e.... 84 do Transnational bank ing consortia. .............. 84 4. Transnational banks' mobilization of foreign capital forSouthAfrica. ....... *.........* .. 86 a. SouthAfrica'soveralldebt...o.... o .. *o ... 86 b. Leading transnational banks' role in mobilizing capital...............* ...... .. 86 c. Home Government insurance and guarantee programmes . .. .. 89 d. SouthAfricangold...*.0*....... ... ..... 91 IIISummaryandconclusicns... .... oo . ....*.. &*&0 92 Overseas capital has nlayed a central role in the last two decades in transfornina the South African econory into a modern industrialized economy. About three times as much foreign capital JTas invested in "outh Africa in the first two nost- World Iar IT decades as bad, been invested in the entire Prewar era. By l75, foreipn investment constituted almost a nuarter of all investment there. South Africa has always relied very heavily on Poreirn canital for its economic growTh. figures below indicate that this carital dependency is increasing. I . I TIPRODU)IO!]~f Table 1. Role of foreign capital in the financing of gross domestic investment 1965 - 1975 (Million rands and dollars) Foreign capital Net inflow of as a percentage capital from the Gross domestic of gross domestic rest of the world investment investment 1965 255 293 219P 252P 11.6 1966 141 162 20104 2420 6.7 1967 162 1A6 2601 3005 6.0 1968 456 524 2483 2855 18.4 1960 180 207 304 I?!ao 5.9 1970 541 622 3701 4256 14.6 1971 764 870 4210 421h2 19.1 1972 407 V48 3976 )572 10.2 1973 -15P -12 h 016 5 ,53 1974 774 80 6880 702? 11.2 1975 1774 2040 7755 8918 22.9 Source: South African Peserve Bank, Quarterly Pulletin, "arch 1073; June 1976. Table 2. Breakdown o-1975 investment byvsector (Million rands and dollars) Public authorities 2 46P 2 P3p, Public corporations 1 244 1 431 Private business 4 013 4L 6h Total 7 755 8 018 Source: South African Reserve Bank, Quarterly Bulletin, June 176. A. Aim of this report The aim of