Transcontinental Consultancy
Transcontinental Consultancy is a company owned by Sean Cleary and, according to The Times, was used to recruit South West African Defence Force soldiers to fight in Namibia in the 1980s.[1]
Namibia
In 1985 former PR Consultant to the Namibian administration Sir Trevor Lloyd-Hughes, accused Strategy Network International of being controlled totally by Pretoria. Strategy Network International Ltd, was a new company lobbying for the Namibian regime and established by Steven Govier who was sacked by Trevor Lloyd Hughes earlier that year, and Patrick Wattson. Govier initially denied working for the South Africans insisting that he was employed by the Transitional Government of National Unity, the administration set up in Windhoek.
It later emerged that they were paid and instructed by a company called Transcontinental Consultancy and that its owner, Sean Cleary, had helped establish their office in London. Cleary was previously Director-General of the Administrator-General's office in Windhoek and an important South African diplomat who was instrumental in setting up the transitional administration.
He resigned from the civil service in to start Transcontinental and was promptly awarded four million Rand (pounds 1.5 million) to act as consultant to the transitional government. Questions were raised at the time about the way this contract was awarded without consultation or tender.
The Times added:
- The company also appears to be acting as a recruiting agency for the South-West African Defence Force, the Namibian contingent of the South African Army fighting Swapo guerrillas in the territory. Mr Daniel Hill, an unemployed Irish citizen from Cardiff, approached the group two weeks ago and asked to join the Namibian armed forces. He said yesterday that Mr Watson had told him he would arrange for a visa and find out whether he could join the Army.[2]
Resources
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (1986), Sub-Saharan Africa Report, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Accessed 25-June-2010
Notes
- ↑ Richard Dowden, 'Nambia regime blighted by propaganda feud in London / South Africa's attempts to gain international credibility for its administration', The Times, 2-November-1985, Accessed via Nexis UK, 11-September-2009
- ↑ Richard Dowden, 'Nambia regime blighted by propaganda feud in London / South Africa's attempts to gain international credibility for its administration', The Times, 2-November-1985, Accessed via Nexis UK, 11-September-2009
