Page 11 - 100 years of Anglo American

Leadership of such a powerful corporate
force required a man of stature, vision and
innate responsibility. Not only to the
company’s success but, given the sociopolitical
context of the early 1980s, to South Africa’s
long-term wellbeing.
The man chosen for the task was 56-year-
old Gavin Relly. Having started his career at
Anglo American in 1949, Relly had been
involved in some of the company’s, and indeed
South Africa’s, most extraordinary
expansionist endeavours, including the
development of the Free State gold field, the
establishment of a uranium industry, and the
further growth of the steel and vanadium
sector with the creation of Highveld Steel and
Vanadium.
By 1977, Relly had risen the ranks to become
deputy chairperson. Not only did his
appointment make sense from an experience
perspective, but Relly was widely regarded as
highly pragmatic and fiercely opposed to
international economic sanctions, two qualities Nelson Mandela and Gavin Relly at an economic conference in 1990. Relly defied then
that were believed necessary as the country president PW Botha and went to Lusaka to meet with the ANC in 1985
moved ever deeper into crisis.
Relly’s leadership of Anglo American
spanned the tumultuous period between
January 1983 and April 1990. It was a time of
increasingly stringent international economic
sanctions, isolationism, the growth of trade
unionism and industrial action, particularly in
the mining sector, social unrest, severe state
oppression and, towards the end, the glimmer
of political reform.
Thus, it was inevitable that Relly’s role as
chairperson was far more political than
corporate in nature being concerned with
helping to resolve the sociopolitical turmoil of
the country, which he understood to be in the
company’s best economic interests. Michael Spicer Clem Sunter
Admittedly, the company had always been
far more concerned with South African sociopolitical environment during the late Julian Ogilvie Thompson, would take over.
politics than its peers: Sir Ernest and his son 1980s and 1990s. In fact, the “high road, low In naming JOT, as he is familiarly known, as
had both been members of Parliament and, road” scenario developed by Sunter his successor, the company was firmly sticking
particularly Harry, had advocated for the fundamentally altered the public conversation to its inherent South African-British
liberalisation of oppressive laws. from one where South Africa was inevitably aristocratic-esque character. Born in Cape
While Harry was certainly an outspoken heading for civil war to one where an inclusive Town and the son of a former chief justice,
opponent of the apartheid regime – although and peaceful future could be negotiated. JOT was a Rhodes scholar and an Oxford
not always in an altruistic fashion – Relly took Simultaneously, Relly began to engage in politics, philosophy and economics graduate.
political activism to a whole new level and put serious political dialogue with the ANC He joined the company in 1957 as Harry’s
Anglo American firmly at the forefront of leadership in exile and with Nelson Mandela personal assistant, was moulded in the
businesses’ campaign for the economic while he was still incarcerated in Pollsmoor Oppenheimer business style, and climbed the
liberalisation of South Africa during the late Prison. The undertaking for which Relly executive ranks to become chair of the
1980s. In fact, Relly’s legacy is almost wholly became most renowned was his leadership of corporation’s international arm, Minorco, in
political with the most significant a delegation of South African businessmen, in 1982. He became deputy chair of the company
achievement being the contribution he made defiance of the orders of the National Party, to in 1983, and chair of De Beers in 1985. JOT was
to the demise of apartheid. meet with the exiled ANC leadership in an Anglo-De Beers man to his core.
He pursued a two-pronged approach – an Lusaka, Zambia, in 1985. As was the case with Relly, the period of
aggressive public affairs and scenario-planning It was initiatives such as these that JOT’s chairmanship of Anglo American, which
strategy to encourage the liberalisation of the essentially signalled Anglo American’s spanned from April 1990 to November 2002,
country’s political framework, and the commitment to the struggle for, at least, a was a roller coaster of unprecedented social,
engagement with the ANC in exile. new non-racial economic dispensation. political and economic developments in South
Throughout his chairmanship, he repeatedly Ever the pragmatist, Relly understood that Africa. He led the corporation through a
spoke out against the apartheid regime and the release of Mandela from prison on period of intense social tension, political
encouraged the creation of economic February 2 1990 had ushered in a new era for negotiation and reform during the early 1990s,
opportunities for the black majority. the country, and that the new challenges and and then reconciliation and the facilitation of
A significant move, though, was the opportunities could only be effectively a more inclusive economic framework in the
appointment of Michael Spicer and Clem embraced by a new chairperson. latter half of the decade.
Sunter, two executives who would have Thus, just weeks after Mandela’s release
enormous influence on South Africa’s Relly resigned and announced that his deputy, CONTINUED ON P12
ANGLO AMERICAN 100 YEARS 11