Good Morning Gull
Not to split hairs (heirs), but obviously not an "article".
A letter to the editor and the spin left me dizzy!
A would appear that Mr. Jordaan is nervous and is stooping to a disgusting new low..... the heirs (Mr. Jordaan) is now attempting to play the nationalistic card!
I suppose its true what they say, the tail can wag the dog. If all else fails, try nationalism. I can just see the two of you last night, "Listen Jor, if all our legal, moral and rational arguments fail and it looks like the Minister might follow the law, I suppose we can always wrap ourselves in the flag and cry disenfranchisement (fowl)!"
I suppose next we will read about the "heirs" clandestine support of the ANC during the dark days of white rule?
I understand brine will toughen skin, the lot of you might consider it, as all that crawling around is going to scrape your stomachs something terrible.
The "editorial's" fundamental flaws:
1. To date, SUF have purchased the rights to mine from every other land owner on the Klipspringer project without incident. Why would they not make a similar purchase from the owners of the Mars.... (sp?) farm if the ownership of those rights was as obvious as you or Mr. Jordaan contend?
Answer: Ownership was not as obvious as you suggest.
2. If the "heirs" had the "rights", why were they not registered previously? They are only "rights" once they are registered, correct?
Answer, they were not registered because, a) the original heir who begat the NGS "heirs" had been disinherited, or b) the original rights had been sold and allowed to lapse, or c) the original owner thought the land worthless and never registered the rights.
3. Why did the DME register the mineral rights in NGS's name when the department had already (several years previously) issued the prospecting permit to SUF and accepted their deposit in trust towards purchase?
Answer: Either a) a bureaucratic blunder, or b) bribery, or c) the issuing bureaucrat was in a scheme (cahoots) with either NGS or DeBeers.
4. Mr Jordaan states that SUF were invited to bid in an (dutch?) auction for the right to purchase the mineral rights which they claimed to own. Why would SUF enter into an open ended bidding war with people who SUF believed had no legal claim, had been transferred the "rights" illegally, and further believed that they (SUF) had the legitimate claim to the "rights" upon the DME's transfer as their prospecting permit and other applications implied?
Answer: SUF had no proof that the "heirs" were legitimate, that more people claiming to be heirs might not come out of the woodwork once negotiations were concluded with NGS, that they believed that since no heirs had ever registered any "rights" the DME was the legal owner and that they (SUF) had followed the law and now had the legal rights to the property upon acceptance of payment and transfer by the Minister.
Allow me to append the following as it seems some what relevant to how this story is unfolding:
Three medical students were late getting back for their annual exam
because of a party out of town and missed the test. They begged their
professor to be allowed to take the test since they had a flat tire
and couldn't make it back on time.
The professor agreed and the following day put the 3 students in 3
separate rooms for the test.
The students saw the first question, something simple about molarity
(5 points);
They thought they had pulled it off , until they turned the page and
saw the second question, " Which Tire?" (95 points).
Regards |
