Brenthurst Foundation, Why You Need to Worry
By Amb. Emmanuel Mwamba
Brenthurst Foundation, a think-tank founded in 2004 by Jonathan Oppenheimer, billionaire of the Anglo-American fame, is an NGO promoting private, corporate and neo-liberal interests and policies in Africa.
Jonathan is the Executive Chairman of Oppenheimer Generations, a former chairman of De Beers and a former vice-president of his family’s firm, Anglo American Corporation.
President Hakainde Hichilema has been associated with this NGO since 2014 when pictures of their meetings and conferences came to public light.
Brenthurst Foundation has been associated with other Opposition leaders in Zimbabwe, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
It is for this reason that we have expressed objection to the abuse of state resources in promoting the local and regional interests of Brenthurst Foundation.
Off course the Board Members were in celebratory mood when they came to President Hichilema’s inauguration, toasting one of the biggest achievement of the Foundation, where one of their own achieved remarkable electoral victory and took the reigns of state power.
Shortly after that, former President, Kgalema Monthlante, a known member of the Brenthurst Foundation visited President Hichilema at State House in September 2021, promoting a private initiative for a rail and road project from the DRC copper and cobalt mines to the Southern Africa ports through Zambia.
Yesterday, President Hichilema conferred upon the highest honour Zambia can give, the Order of the Eagle of Zambia 1st Division to three former Presidents “for their outstanding work in the promotion and advancement of democracy and the delivery democratic dividends for citizens”.
Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Liberia Olusegun Obasanjo, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Ernest Bai Koroma, who are part of the Brenthurst Foundation Board, were the recipeints of these prestigious national awards.
And strangely, Bai Koroma also led the African Union Observer Mission to Zambia’s August 2021 Elections.
A thread that binds this group together is that they are all members of the Advisory Board of the Brenthurst Foundation that have travelled to Zambia to have an an annual advisory board meeting in Livingstone.
In January 2022, using state resources, President Hichilema travelled to South Africa to launch a book, “Expensive Poverty- Why Aid Fails, and How It Can Work” written by Brenthurst Foundation Executive Director, Greg Mills.
Between March 27th-29th, Brenthurst Foundation organised a secret high-level security meeting in Lower Zambezi that attracted US, Kenya, and South Africa defence and security officials.
Shortly after that, the USA Government announced the establishment of AFRICOM, one of the eleven combatant units of the US defence forces, in Zambia.
On 25th April 2022, visiting AFRICOM Brigadier General Peter Bailey, Deputy Director for Strategy, Engagement, and Programs, made the announcement during a meeting with President Hichilema at State House.
And after that meeting in Lower Zambezi, First Quantum Minerals (FQM) who were part of the security meeting, announced an investment of $1.2 billion in Kansanshi Copper Mines.
But FQM neglected to inform the nation that a mining agreement with Government was also signed with unknown concessions and tax incentives granted.
Clearly this is increasingly becoming a matter of national security and a present threat to our sovereignty.
