Читать книгу Countdown to Corruption - Glenn Edward Kirk - Страница 3

Corporate life was enjoyable but challenging. The competitiveness among the younger management trainee staff demanded relatively long hours but also much interaction at a social level. Rachel was a major asset and as the months passed we found we were in great demand. She loved the popularity. My sleep pattern faltered but I quickly learned to readjust. We were both happy and the future looked promising. Promotion came a year down the line when I was chosen to be a personal assistant to Mr. Damian Hetherington, an executive director. I liked him. He was an Engineer, a brilliant negotiator and this, together with his entrepreneurial skills qualified him to run the Industrial Division. My job was to ensure everything operated smoothly in his office, to prepare for meetings and, most importantly, to learn as much as I could from him. I thrived in the environment. This was when I got to know Jackson.

Jackson at that time was Hetherington’s personal driver and “dogs body”. He was officially an employee of the Corporation. He appeared to be a very affable chap but I soon learned that there was far more to him. I am particularly sensitive to peoples’ mannerisms and interaction with their surroundings. He had a remarkably quick appreciation and understanding of office matters and his ability to remember and mentally file all conversations and events was particularly noticeable. He appeared to be ever present although he spent quite a bit of time driving the Boss to and from meetings and generally around Johannesburg. It took me some time to fully appreciate the depth of Jackson’s knowledge and understanding of business within the Industrial Division. I was initially shocked and then fascinated. I mentioned it to Hetherington.

“Yes, he is a gem isn’t he,” he said. I said nothing.

Jackson and I slowly developed a reasonable friendship within the framework of apartheid South Africa. He started to confide in me, we became “office buddies.” I soon saw in him a certain envy of my position as a personal assistant to an Executive Director, a position I guessed he aspired to. Unfortunately the apartheid barrier prevented him ever achieving this. He disguised his anger but there were a few occasions when he let slip and I was sharply reminded of a deeper emotion within. I did not at first understand but later saw the root of the problem. It was my “white” security in an unjust society, a society that afforded me privileges built on vile prejudice and enforced by a fanatical government , a government that manipulated Christian beliefs to suit their ultimate aim of total oppression of all who were not Caucasian.

“Hello darling,” I casually said. “ I have told you about Jackson at the office. There is something intriguing about him and I would like us to have him for dinner one evening, something very casual.”

“Do not be ridiculous. You will only embarrass him .”

“Rachel, there is a deep hurt within him which I cannot fathom. I want to know what motivates him and genuinely believe he will open up in a comfortable atmosphere and besides, you are a professional at making people feel relaxed in our home. He is good company and can add another dimension to our rather cloistered and privileged life in Africa.”

“Absolutely not!” came the determined and rapid reply.

“Very well. I will invite him out for drinks and take it from there.”

Looking back I now realise this was the start of our mutual disinterest in each other, an initial motivating factor which was to propel our marriage into a vacant sphere of distant neutrality.

Drinks with Jackson was pleasant but I could not dispel a feeling of uncertainty about the wisdom of this get-together. There was a lack of satisfaction and enjoyment that should have generated interesting and fun levels of interaction. He held back and displayed little enthusiasm. This was possibly due to the uncharacteristic situation of black and white not openly socialising in public. We could not simply walk into a bar and order drinks which resulted in Jackson suggesting we meet at a snooker club near our office. He was a member and the patio area would be tolerant of white visitors. Fortunately it was empty and I felt comfortable. It would not have been my venue of choice.

On parting Jackson said, “that was really good Charlie. We must do it again, thanks.” We left in different directions.

Little did I realise how this Wednesday socialising would impact on my life.

It was around this time that I began to notice a developing neurosis in Rachel. Her social life was paramount. Her sister Mary and husband David had moved to South Africa, a move that was essentially a business transfer. David, an old Harrovian, had joined the Guards after leaving school but, shortly before his marriage to Mary, changed careers and accepted a position in an investment company operating out of London. The official reason for the African transfer was “ to see how the Johannesburg branch operated within a much smaller market structure.” It was obvious to me it was purely a manipulation on behalf of Sir Frederick to have his daughter near her parents. David was not an entrepreneur and it was blatantly obvious the career choice was wrong. He had little to say in the matter.

It soon became a reality to me that a deep jealousy existed within Rachel towards her sister. I was an only child and had never witnessed or experienced sibling rivalry. I tried to help but all reasoning fell on deaf ears. Finally it reached a climax. Mary was to host a party for her sisters’ birthday and naturally the guest list included most of our friends. Rachel went into total decline.

“She wants to take over my friends,” she cried.

“Come on Rachel, friends that become cool towards us are not worthy of our loyalty and friendship. You are being ridiculous. Friendship spreads and you will enjoy Mary in your social circle.”

“NEVER!”

We went to the party and it was a huge success. Rachel was extraordinarily charming and full of fun. We got home around 1.30 am. Within an hour she was having convulsions. I called our family doctor, Dr. Lawrence who fortunately was on call. He arrived within 20 minutes. I explained what had happened and the family dynamics. His examination was thorough, his diagnosis simple: Extreme stress and emotional trauma resulting from severe anxiety and jealousy regarding her sister. The social competitiveness in Johannesburg was appallingly destructive. A tranquilizer injected into her backside quickly sorted her out. The next day it was as if nothing had happened. It was an evening I would long remember.

I originally thought I had married a fascinatingly attractive woman filled with laughter and amusement. I had in fact married a vacuous girl living in a cocoon of little consequence and total foolishness. Rachel’s grasp of reality was non- existent. Her reading intellect extended only to Barbara Cartland novels which precluded any intellectual opinion and discussion on most subjects. She typified the silly female whose life revolved around ladies afternoon bridge and tennis parties, general gossip plus the desire to be seen at so called society gatherings. When some such invitation was not extended to her I had to deal with nervous neurotic episodes and uncontrolled bouts of depression. Not a home environment conducive to romance or any form of domestic fulfilment. I had originally presumed she could be influenced towards a more intellectual and fulfilling life….. foolish me! I was also aware of an innate stubborn intolerance coupled with an indestructible selfish approach to all matters involving her lifestyle. Her one redeeming feature was her astonishingly accurate interpretation of what being a really good mother entailed.

My office workload continued to be heavy but very interesting. Jackson was always on hand whenever his duties allowed him to be in the office. I appreciated his assistance and warmed towards him.

“Charlie, if I can help you in any way, all you have to do is call.”

“Mr. Jackson, thanks,” I laughed. He really was a nice guy.

“My cousin works as a general assistant in a division of Gold Developments Incorporated. Let us join him and a couple of his friends for a drink after work today.” A delay in going home sounded good.

“That will be perfect. Let me know when and where.”

Marlon, Jackson’s cousin was a tall good-looking man with a touch of white ethnicity in his blood. In South Africa people of mixed ethnic origins are called coloureds. He looked Latin to me. There was one disconcerting feature that troubled me. In place of the brown eyes normally associated with Latin and Coloured features, his were extraordinary and penetratingly green, eyes that displayed a total lack of warmth and emotion. His colleague Sandile greeted us.

“Nice to meet you Charlie. How things on the Industrial side?”

“Hello Sandile, Marlon, good to meet you both…..drinks time!”

It was a fun early evening drink but after two beers it was time for me to leave. I did not want to push my luck with my wife!

The Wednesday evening drink became a ritual and the group soon increased to ten. We were employed by different companies, companies that were for the most part listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. For me it was an opportunity to interact with representatives from across racial barriers and at the same time get to know a little about the competitive business sectors in which each member worked. In addition it gave me a window through which I could examine and begin to understand the extent of the social divide created by the existing abhorrent apartheid laws. We talked sport, business, world news and politics. Politics was a topic only briefly discussed. We were a mixed bunch from very divergent backgrounds and I was certainly not going to encourage in depth, potentially explosive political debate. However, it was not always my call to decide which way the conversation moved so discussions periodically became heated. We lived and worked in a political environment forced upon us by the fanatical and unjust views of the white South African Nationalist Government of the day.

In early spring I bumped into Jeremy an old school chum of mine. We had been team mates on both the rugby and cricket fields but serious rivals in the classroom. The end result was a loyal and firm friendship extending well into our adult years. Although a superb athlete he had been a rather anaemic looking chap. The transformation in the man was astonishing.

“Hi Charles, how you doing?”

“Jeremy, great to see you! I see you have converted to a multi health regime. Wow, you have bulked up incredibly and look remarkably healthy, bodybuilder stuff. Give me the recipe please providing, of course, it is not steroids!”

“Ha Ha, it certainly is not and thank you. I have started a small gym nearby and must set an example. It has been a fairly gradual process, nothing dramatic, but I am very much more alert and generally healthier since we last met. I am at the stage now where, in order to go forward, I must consider professional competitive events or change my life direction completely. If you come across any interesting career prospects I am your man!”

“If anything worthwhile comes up I will let you know but, tell me, is this a result of pure exercise or is there something else in the equation?”

“Charlie, here is my card. Call in sometime and if you are interested I will draw up a programme for you. You will need to go on a special nutritional diet so no more alcohol my friend!”

The next day after work I was at the gym, officially on my “ New Me” programme! It was hard work but the satisfaction of feeling brighter and lighter propelled me into a more vigorous exercise workout and a strict eating schedule. It was addictive.

I missed the next few regular Wednesday evening social get-togethers. Jackson came into my office. “Charlie we have missed you. What is up? Why no see?”

“Hello, I apologise but I will be there next week.”

The following Wednesday found me greeting my drinking partners. I ordered a lime and soda.

“What the hell is wrong with you,” Marlon blurted out, his bile green eyes narrowing , flashing rays of vitriolic violence. He quickly regained his composure but the damage had been done. Violence and hatred were not part of my DNA and were to be avoided in others at all cost.

“Gentleman I am on a new regime. I have started a serious exercise programme and am following a healthy eating plan made up for me by Jeremy, a friend of mine. You should all consider it. He has a very well equipped gym, some really good machinery there.”

“I give you another two weeks!” Marlon retorted with a hint of irritation and left it at that. I stayed twenty minutes and was gone.

I did not join them for the next two weeks. It was my intention to slowly extricate myself from a sometimes unpleasant and unacceptable situation. Marlon phoned me a few weeks later.

“Hello Charlie, how you doing? We have missed you and with the colder weather have moved into a private room within the club so no excuses for not appearing .”

“My apologies but I am at the gym every evening. Going there is like an addiction and I seriously enjoy it. I promise to come and say hi soon.”

“Very well, just make sure you do not leave it too long,” he said rather too earnestly and rang off.

The following Wednesday morning I was summoned by Hetherington into his office.

“Charlie, sit down my boy. I have asked you here to give you some good news. The Executive Committee has decided you are the man to head our Steel Companies within the Industrial Division. You have proven yourself to be an excellent industrialist and when I put your name forward for the position it was immediately approved. You have an excellent reputation within the group and it seems a glittering career lies ahead, well done.”

“Thank you sir, I appreciate your comments and accept with great pleasure. I am absolutely delighted and honoured and will put my everything into the steel sector’s future growth and prosperity.”

“Well said, let me show you your new office.”

My new department’s offices were familiar to me but I was more than pleased when he showed me my predecessor’s redesigned and redecorated corner unit. It was indeed magnificent with a sweeping vista of the famous gold mine dumps created by the mining process during the early gold mining frenzy. Recently steps had been taken to grass the huge mounds but with a new reclamation process in place, gold particles previously considered too small to be financially viable were being mined.

“They have done a splendid job don’t you think?” Hetherington said.

“Very much so Sir.”

Under my breath I muttered, “ It is amazing!” I felt I was definitely moving up the Corporate Ladder…. what a pleasure. The hard work was paying dividends quicker than I had hoped.

I did not go to the Wednesday social nor to the gym choosing to head straight home to tell Rachel.

“Very nice darling, shall we open a bottle of champagne to celebrate?”

“That is a great thought but no alcohol for me my love.”

“Well I have had an exhausting day made worse by two bad hands at bridge so let’s have an early night,” she said and that was the end of it. There was no further or future acknowledgment of my somewhat meteoric rise ever again.

That night I crept into my little Sophie’s room and held my darling daughter in my arms.

“It is all for you my little treasure. Sleep well my little one. I love you, good night.”

She was the light of my life. I worked and achieved all for her.

The weeks went quickly and it soon became obvious my Wednesday drink pals would have to do without me. I called Jackson and asked him to convey my apologies and explain my work load.

“Charlie, we are good friends and I urge you to come this evening.”

I winced and then confidently said,“ It is not possible this evening but I promise to attend next week and personally explain my predicament.”

“You had better do that,” came the terse and abrupt reply.

My new responsibilities rapidly revealed some disturbing elements within the sector, the most alarming being what seemed to be orchestrated labour unrest at ground level. I detected rumblings in reports handed to my predecessor but no action had been taken.

“Lucy, please make sure that everything coming in to our office from the factory managers immediately comes to my desk marked TOP PRIORITY. A visit to each manager during the coming two months is a must. Check my diary and organise……. thank you.”

Lucy was my secretary and had moved over with me at my request. We worked well together.

More weeks went by and once again Jackson called me.

“Charlie it is imperative you attend tonight. Marlon is mad with you. Please do not cross him. He can be very belligerent if he does not get his way. He only wants to talk to you.”

“What the hell about ?”

“It’s a major business matter involving all of us. You must come. He will explain.”

“For the record, I am not interested in any business venture with you guys. That has been made very clear by me from the start. My attendance at these meetings is purely social and offers me a platform to interact with a cross section of South Africans. My loyalty is to my company and under no circumstances will consideration be given to a business involvement in anything he might propose or want to discuss.”

“Charlie you have to come. You must be there tonight.”

He rang off leaving me annoyed and feeling a little rebellious. Bloody hell, no one talks to me like that .

I left work at 6.30 pm with no intention of joining them for a drink. Jackson was waiting next to my Alfa.

“I have come to collect you. We can go in my car,” he insisted with agitation. “I promised them I would get you there. Believe me it is vital you come with me.”

“What the hell is going on. Very well I will come with you but in my car. You will have to get a lift back.”

There was no overwhelming desire to go home just yet but I certainly was not going to be trapped there without my own transport.

We arrived and Jackson and I walked in together. There were eleven people sitting around a table waiting for us as Marlon arose and greeted me with his hand outstretched. Cordial enough I thought.

I greeted them.“ Hello All, why the urgency?”

“Good evening Charlie, I would like to introduce you to our business committee.”

I remained silent. The strategy was to let matters take their course. I did not want to hear details of any business, be it social or commercial, that they so desperately wanted to discuss in my presence. A quick exit was planned with the intention of my never returning.

“Well Comrades, it is a pleasure to have you all together tonight.”

Bad start I thought to myself.

“We are gathered here for a very special occasion. I will start with the background.”

What have I let myself in for entered my mind.

“As I said, I will start with the background. Each one of us, including you, Charlie, is painfully aware of the injustice and havoc apartheid has inflicted on the black majority in this country of ours. We are not here to try and rectify the political abnormalities. No, we are here to control and change the business sectors’ injustices and abnormalities.”

I jumped to my feet, immediately on the defensive. “Hold it Marlon, you give me no choice but to leave immediately. It is obvious where you are going with this and herby advise you I will not be part of any conspiracy.”

“Sit down you bloody idiot!!” he screamed across the table, “you ARE part of this and you WILL listen.”

“I am getting out of here.” I moved towards the door. Two burly figures blocked my exit. I looked at Marlon and saw venomous hatred and burning anger in his face. I quickly calmed down. A calming and accepting approach was my only hope of getting away.

“You are already part of this.” He dimmed the lights and a projector beamed images of me and the others on to a screen.

“You see we have filmed all our meetings and with clever editing it is obvious you are participating and plotting.”

I was shocked beyond belief. My stomach churned. A file was angrily thrown at me.

“Take a look at this you little piece of shit.”

I opened it. There were copies and originals of memo’s, confidential working papers and reports, all from the secret and private records of the Industrial Division of my Company. Jackson had done a good job. The implications were monstrously terrifying.

“That one file is a miniscule part of a library we have created. A library documenting and recording the inner workings of twelve major South Africa companies. Yes, we have people in each company working for us. They are our understudies, with us preparing to take over when the revolution begins. We are not interested in participating in party politics. We WILL control the economy. The power WILL be in our hands.”

“What about Mandela? Is he part of this?”

“If Mandela is released he could be a problem. He might want to negotiate with the white regime but we will deal with that if and when the time comes. Back to now.”

“Charlie you have no choice but to continue as one of us. It is one of two choices for you. You participate or get locked up as a political activist. The evidence against you is massive. According to that one file you have committed fraud on a grand scale. You face a life time behind bars or at the very least twenty years and you will never work again.”

“I will not be part of this you bastard!”

“There is no country you can run to. The ANC has informants and members in every corner of the world. Be warned, if you do not cooperate fully you put your wife and daughter at severe risk. You and your family will never be able to hide from us.”

The enormity of my situation suddenly consumed me. My darling Sophie, my little girl was in serious danger. She was my everything. I looked around the room.

“How do you see me contributing Gentleman?” I struggled with the words. Fear had taken over but determination to safeguard my little girl fuelled my resolve. I had to appear to agree with those around the table. These men were my enemy and had to be destroyed. A plan for their destruction must be the primary move in any strategy taken.

“You will continue in your new position within the Steel Division ……. how do you think you got there……and do not make one false move. Remember we have members watching and reporting. Should we even suspect disloyalty your wife and daughter will disappear. You are far too intelligent a man not to do as we say. Your first instruction will be given to you in the morning.”

I quickly got up and left and made my way home. What had he meant by saying “ how do you think you got there?” Was Hetherington part of this? It could not be. My mind raced. My life up till this moment had been relatively sheltered and somewhat stress free. Finding myself embroiled in fictitious claims of corporate espionage and surrounded by possible charges of high treason rocked my entire being. Was this the real world from which my parents had, at great expense, sheltered me? Twelve years of public boarding school had definitely been instrumental in controlling my perception of what the world was all about.

As I approached the entrance to my house paranoia set in. A blue Volvo was parked on the opposite side of the road. Was I being watched? I turned and drove through my gates waiting to ensure they closed behind me, moved on, stopped at the front door, switched off my car and suddenly froze. Rachel was an emotional loose cannon and would never be able to handle this. Nothing could be revealed to her. In fact nothing could be said to anybody. Sharp focus and concentration was necessary to plan my way forward. Sophie was my priority, her safety paramount. “ Please God help me,” I prayed as I got out of the car.