There I see the Tower of Babel Crumble

Missed another day yesterday - there you thought that I was back on planet Relaxo, but not so. I said that I would spend 1 fun day getting my website back in order, and there I spent two full days staring at the technological manifestation called computer. And that just to satisfy my own obsession to have a visible archetype or construct that represents a part of me on the collective consensus called the Internet. However, we are back on line. Not that we ever were off-line; the problem was with my own computer. More about this adventure a bit later.

We also had some answers to questions. For example: who are the famous four that requested judicial management? (sounds a bit like science fiction, doesn't it: "The Return of the Edwafin Four versus the Hell Hound Investors"). They are:

1. Patrick Stapleton
2. Maria Stapleton
3. Don Hutchinson
4. Bob Kleinsmith

Thanks to anonymous for this info, and sorry that I had not realized that the comment had not been posted before this morning. This anonymous also revealed that Carole Gardiner left our midst last month already. Is it not intriguing how a person has the propensity to create so much havoc and pain to others, essentially under false pretences, and when Pete finally meets Mary, they turn their backs and walk away. Yet, humans as one of the collective souls of the universe create the the rules and structures that make such treachery possible.

It also became known, that the soul that is the focus of our intention, Patrick Stapleton, had been in hospital because of his nerves. Sorry to hear that Patrick, although the attention of nurses is not something to snicker at. Please know that we need you, and that you are central to our game, and constantly on most of our thoughts. Take many vitamins and live for the moment, the rest will fall in place.

Below is a short account of how I interpret the whole situation thus far. t would all have been much easier if we hadn't forgotten how to communicate via spirit, as words are merely delimiters of spiritual information and never represent the information itself.

You may find in boring; Read at your own peril!

In order to be conscious of being - being aware of self in other words - we creatively fill the void of pure existence with information; structures that represent our livingness. Some of this structural information is manifested as dense, energy conglomerates and are therefore "physical" apparitions (house, car, wife, husband, etc.) but many others are ethereal concepts that we as the collective human soul contract into by pure intention. As such we have country border - established by the common intention of a part of the collective soul. We have political systems, again a manifestation of a collective spirit. Life is full of such intended informational constructs that we contract into, never really against our will. Animals do the same. Ants and bees, for example, are also part of a collective agreement, and function within that system. The same applies other animal species.
As humans, though, we differ somewhat in that our intentions - unlike that of the bee - are often diverse and frequently are apparently contrary to other intentions that may be floating about and that are also our own constructs. Most of these constructs may be described as archetypes, part of the basic structures of human existence, and they are all valid as far as human consciousness is concerned: some believe in flying saucers - that's why they exist for them; they create them. Others believe in ghosts, and that is also true - for them. By consensus we select leaders, and some of them become "great", while others are deplorable, like Stalin, Amin, Hitler and our close neighbor (can't remember his name at this moment!). And it is here where the peculiarity emerges. Because the group soul has collectively constructed this numinous concept of a state with a system of government, it is bound by the ground rules, equally numinous, that the archetype represents. Therefore, once we have created a horrible leader - the archetype of a evil leader that you can't get rid of - we cannot just uncreate him by thought because we have also created the ground rules (another set of constructs) by which to get rid of him/her. Here another set of archetypes come into play: the leader dies (natural or not so natural), he is deposed. Typical of this leader-archetype is that they rarely leave their position themselves - it is not part of their construct.
The point of my long-winded excursion into perceptions, is that those of us who invested with Edwafin did so with intention, and I'm not only talking about receiving money, although that was the justification. As an element of the collective soul we have manifested the archetype of the Company (there are a variety of these, eg. PTY, PTY LTD, CC) but essentially they operate by the same principles). We have imbued this collective thought with a certain immunity. One of the main concerns of the "company" is the money - the archetypal of "having". They are also jealous of the group cohesion which usually has a name like Edwafin, and all some role player may come and go, the main entities form the nucleus of the mental construct, Edwafin. The purpose behind the Edwafin soul collection is to get some "having" from the archetypal "investor" and try and make more "having" so that the investor will eventually have more "having with his original "having". For a while all went well and the archetype, subjectively seen, seemed to work, but then came the time for evolvement of that part of the collective soul which had become attached to the money or "having" construct. It had to come to the realization that the construct of "having" was - Poof - just that: a concept. Further came the realization that the "having" of Edwafin was also - Poof: just a concept. The point is that the idea of possession is an elusive one, and one, amongst others, that merely serves to create self-awareness - the "I'm alive" feeling.

Of course there are other lessons still to be learnt. For example, how are those whom we in spirit placed at the helm of the Edwafin construct, going to handle the situation, now that we have become aware of the reality of the meaning of "having". Yes, there are many choices of constructs possible, and some we have already encountered (computers, lawyers, courts, deceptions, bravado, delusions, etc.). Some particpants, having made their contribution, merely withdraw from the whole construct: those who were retrenched, or resigned like Carole for example. However, the Edwafin construct is still with us, and needs to be worked through to its conclusion, and the collective soul continues its self-awareness-making process with further creative constructs. The question is: "What will I learn from it all? Was the process of spiritual evolution successful for me?" Of course, the concept of "success" is also just a human construct. Oh well...

Just arrived from the planet Relaxo

Isn't it peculiar that a Monday holiday feels different than a Monday that is not a holiday, even if you are not doing something special? It is as if there is temporarily a different Zeitgeist that beset the consciousness of human souls, and everything - the hustle and bustle - is for a short period suspended.

Yes, I know that you had suspicions that Patrick had paid me and that I would disappear from this electronic world, or that Google finally had decided that enough is enough of this infamous spammer from ZA, and had closed me down. Not So! Patrick paid me not a cent! and if he did, you would be the first to know.

I just decided to give it a bit of a break, and concentrate on some of the other baggage that I have decided to manifest in my reality. I moved my website from one host to another and then to another. The second host was 1 Dollar Hosting, and that was like floating in an acid bath. Their technicians speak a dialect of Zonga, while their servers are situated in outer Mongolia. Yet, unlike, Edwafin, they immediately refunded my money when requested to do so. Lesson: 1 Dollar is worth 1 Dollar, and Edwafin spoof goes Poof!
Then I went to Just Hosting. Hey, those are fine people and the transfer went as smooth as a baby's bum. Of course then I began working on the site and managed bungle it up grandly by locking myself out of the administration panel - we'll have fun today!

As was to be expected there was little news from the very well known company, Edwafin and its subsidiary Edwabond. Also quiet was admiral Patrick Stapleton, one-striped-lieutenant, Don Hutchinson, and under-corporal, Carol Garderner - and we remember the sms to Stapleton, telling him to soldier on? We did receive an anonymous contribution with a link to the Cape Town based, The Witness (see here). The article elaborates on the recent court appearance at which the matter was again postponed until 18 May. It also mentioned that four "role-players" (like in acting, pretending, making the world believe the unbelievable), applied to have the company placed under judicial management. Although I have a good idea who three of these role-players are the fourth one?... I wonder.

Also severely lacking were rumours about travel plans such as to Australia and the good old US of A. Of course there is always the option of starting a new company (or perhaps purchasing one, this obviates the necessity of opening a new bank account and showing your financials) in a country like the USA or Iceland, and exporting the cutting edge motor car abroad (in Iceland you would need to supply snow chains though). Naw, I don't think so, but perhaps there is an investor or two who would like to invest his/her money with the decrepit Edwafin in SA. Now, that would be a novel thought! Say that happened - just a conjecture - one American or Icelander decides to invest with Edwafin, then finds out he no longer wants to. Oops, what will we pay the investors with coming end of April, May and thereafter!!!

Of course, that train of thought brought me to that time of the month. I know, some of you already get paid on the 15th of every month, but normal people get paid at the end of the week or at the end of the month. What will happen in two day's time? I always like positiveness but in this case I have difficulties in visualizing a reality that is different from the reality I'm am now experiencing - now, where is that book on Quantum Leaping. Of course, memories come back in mind about the times that we also received our interest payments around the 15 of the month. Then they had to go and get that blasted computer program, and since then nothing was the same.

A bit of news that I did get, was that financial statements were not distributed (as per minutes of the meeting) at either the PM or Cape Town meetings, but they were shown on overhead projectors. Apparently they caused quite a stir with attendees. Isn't it interesting, sad and peculiar that old Patrick refuses to provide us with financial statements.

Today's famous quote (Stapleton letter, 19 December 2008, first line):

"I am writing this letter in order to be totally transparent with you as a valuable stakeholder in the Edwafin group and its income producing subsidiary companies."

Have you noticed the hilarities: "totally transparent", but refuse to provide you with any financials or copies of prospectuses (Scribd is not working today and a copy of an email that I received after applying for a copy of the prospectus will be shown tomorrow). Then the tragic part: "Edwafin group and its income producing subsidiary companies": Edwabond collects money, Edwafin costs money (salaries, rent etc.),the DMA is not in production yet, and there is another subsidiary that apparently does "good Samaritan work" by distributing goodies. Which would be the income producing subsidiaries then?

Patrick, Patrick, Patrick - will we ever learn. That's the topic for tomorrow.

We have a heckler among us

Back from voting; thumb-dot and all; was fun to listen to the light hearted banter of the voters in the cue. The coffee that was for sale, was exceptionally bad but it went for the local rugby club. So all is well. I just wish they would give our police a better designed headwear.

I was sternly reprimanded this morning. Firstly I had said "Univers" instead of "Universe" and she wasn't happy! So I fixed it. Happy?
Then, somewhere, in these electronic pages I had said "dentures" instead of "debentures". Except for one person, everybody new what I was talking about. I tried to look up the error in order to rectify it, but can't find my "dentures." For those who are confused, it is my debenture investment that is at stake here, my dentures are fine.

Anonymous 1a
When I started this blog, it was not intended exclusively for the uniquely intelligent, but what I never expected was that beings from the outer planets of our solar system would participate as well. Clearly there is a reality-difference here, and we need to be tolerant. For example, yesterday an anonymous comment was published (link):

Perhaps Edwafin is correct - they haven[']t done anything wrong - they sell a high risk investment and therefore as investors you should be willing to take that risk. What of the sales excutives who flogged the sale of the debentures without being completely transparent that they were high risk. Would people still have invested if the product was sold for what it really was? Would people have ploughed their entire pensions into the busines[s]? Just a thought.

Let me explain, but please go over the entries in this blog again. This discussion is not about who is wrong or right, it is about money disappearing. The concept of wrong is very vague, and what is "wrong" for one person is not necessary "wrong" for another. Murder is wrong in times of peace, but is normal at times of war, in fact a soldier who refuses to shoot an "enemy", is wrong and can be killed himself. Humans have a way of constructing rules that suit a specific circumstance. That is why it is illegal (wrong) to deal in raw diamonds in this country - other stones you may sell of as many as you like. So, there is a difference in what is illegal and what is wrong. The idea that "wrong" is the opposite to "right" is also a fallacy. We humans, decide on the spur what is wrong and what is right, as it suits us - that's part of our existence.

You folks at Edwafin probably think you are right and have done nothing wrong, and that is probably true as well. You probably did everything by the book, to stay correct and abide by the law (an aside: there are now others trying to find instances where you did not follow the law so that they can get back at you. Isn't that a fun game?) We investors, on the other hand, are seriously inconvenienced by your rightful actions which, for convenience sake, I would call serious bungling ineptitude on a grand scale. Now that we want our money back (correctly according to the law), you are on your hind legs, and make us "wrong." Yes, it is seriously complicated and unique to our planet. Nevertheless, try your utmost to grasp these concepts.

As for the sales representatives. They are/were employees of Edwafin, paid by the company, and therefore representing the company (as you yourself imply by the word representative). On our planet the responsibility for anything the representatives do, is with the management of the company, in this case, ultimately, Mr P Stapleton and companions.

Then you make an interesting observation: "would we buy the investments if we really knew what they were." Are you suggesting that the representatives knew that Edwafin was going to fold, and never told us? Now, isn't that a new, original concept?

Anonymous 1b
Then today a second comment arrived from the outer reaches of the system, and I presumesubspecies:

from the same entity, or in any case similar

Presumably you invested into Edwafin Debentures (not dentures!) via a licensed financial advisor who fully explained the risks associated with this type of investment?

If this be the case you would have noted that it is a requirement of the FAIS Act that the name and contact detail of the Compliance Officer be disclosed.

An addition to your "dictionary"....academic - of no particular relevance

Note how it refers to my dentures, and then tells me it is of no particular relevance. Well, I would like it to know that my dentures are exceedingly important to me. Of course, we all know that it is already part of the dictionary on planet earth, so there was no addition just a Freudian slip (I'll explain that you at another time).
The word "presume" is also an interesting human invention, and it uses this word in exactly the same magical manner as it did the word "wrong". The word is used when you don't have all the facts, but want to make a point regardless. It is a form of convulsive logic: if you did "this and not that" you were wrong, however, if you didn't then I'm wrong but I am not explicitly saying that I would be wrong. In any case, then it doesn't matter anymore because I have already made my statement. Follow? i didn't think so.

• Advisors. I didn't invest in debentures via a licenced financial advisor, but via two representative staff members of Edwafin or Edwabond, I'm not sure and they never said.
• Risk. No, these Representatives did not warn me that Edwafin could fold, but showed me all the printed material attesting that it was a stable, profitable company.
• FAIS act. Here you've got me! I have no clue what you are getting at with the sentence about knowing who the compliance officer is/was, and what his contact details are. It has nothing to do with the previous two sentences or your argument in general. As far as I know it is the Compliance officer job to look after my interest, and not for me to have his address. What an absurd idea!
  

This latest comment from it surely didn't arrive here in tact, and how could it from so far away? The whole message flummoxed me somewhat, as I have no idea what the point is.I have a sneaking feeling, however, that it is trying to tell us once again that Edwafin did nothing wrong, and that the investors were at fault. We have admitted that Edwafin was not wrong, but seemingly have substandard individuals abusing our money.

I have one wish for it: that you get paid at the end of the month.

And so the Universe comes to the Rescue

It is very early, (from the comments it appears that some hardly sleep at all), and later I have to join my wife to voting station. So I wanted to get this out first.

Yesterday, I lost it somewhat. I surreptitiously lost the focus that I originally had intended with this blog: to give an account of my experience of the Edwafin case and how it has manifested itself in my reality. It isn't so much about the loss of money, as it is an investigation in the mechanisms and archetypes at work in the dynamics of human activity, and the role the "I" of myself has to play in this event.
Shortly, after I had written my last blog yesterday, the Universe said "tut, tut, tut", shook me by the shoulders and sent me a message via Anonymous, quoted in full here:

A message to Mario - Your blog is definitely making an impact on future investors. However, do not be disillusioned - your battle cry will not change what has gone before. The money will in all probability still be lost to you at the end of the day. There is a chance though that your investment will be returned to you, not in monetary value, but in the satisfactory knowledge that you saw Justice, even if it was fleeting and out the corner of your eye. Although the power of positive thinking has gained some excellent press, all positive outlooks require sustenance. Depression is inevitable - Edwafin has become a nagging thorn in your side. Be wary that it doesn't take over your sanity and your inner zen. I commend you for what you have done here, but be careful it doesn't become soul destroying.

I thank anonymous, for this timely interjection, that helped me centre myself again, and regain the focus of this blog. What I had hoped to prevent - that Edwafin would become a thorn in my side - sneaked up on me, and it was essentially not understanding the whimsical role of the players that manifested themselves in the course of events, that aggravated matters.

That made me remember a story from long ago, and I don't know if I read, heard or made it up myself, about this warrior who was part of a tribe living deep in a dark forest. They were happy, had plenty of food, had leaders and followers as lived out their dramas as in any society. For the sake of cohesion they had invented a variety of stories about the dangers of straying to far away from the hub of the society, especially not to venture to close to the edge of the forest.
Now, in a dense forest one cannot see very far in a straight line, nor can you walk many steps in a straight line. The result is that vision is limited and walking from one point to another takes one usually through a wandering path, during which only small portions of the forest are experienced at any one moment.
This warrior, one day, on a hunting expedition, wandered past the edge of the forest, and there before him was the wide open fields with grazing deer, blue skies, bright sunlight, freely flowing rivulets, and lots of fresh air to breath. He had discovered another world - he could see the horizon.
Quickly, he made his way back to his tribe, and wide eyed accounted what he had seen beyond the edge of the forest. The elders, very wise men, reprimanded him, for telling tales, and warned him not to go their again because of all the dangers at the edge.
Having seen the light, and openness of the "other world", however, the warrior continued his excursions into the world beyond, and found it so free and open that he dreaded to go back into the forest. He didn't realize that it was part of the whole world, but merely a sub-phenomenon of it. He especially disliked the trees and bushes, that reduced his vision in the forest, and regarded them as obstacles in his path, obstacles seemingly without any other function whatsoever. What he did not realize was that the purpose of the trees was just that - it was the structure on which the other world was built. Part of the matrix, if you will, that made the forest tribe essentially a forest tribe. It provided security and a point of reference to the people - it created a world, a reality.

In my diatribe against the various bodies like the NCC, SAVCA, and others, I did what the warrior did, and didn't understand the purpose of the trees: that they are social structures that provide coherence and points of reference to the group. Whilst providing the people with a modicum of perceived security, they also prevented the people from questioning their function - to do so would constitute a threat to the status quo of group coherence and bondage to the forest. In their minds, if it wasn't for the trees, there would be a terrible void - fear.

In view of the above, I have decided to remove the email address of those bodies from the limited list allowed by Google, and rather add more interesting and pertinent address. I have come to realize that these bodies have little further to add to my experience of this issue, and by expecting them to do so would be futile and unfair. I also do not think that they will have a major role to play in the process and activities of returning the money to investors. Of course, should there be any news about or from such bodies pertaining to our topic, I shall not hesitate to account them.

Anonymous comments | Your assistance is needed

Anonymous Comments
All anonymous comments are welcome, and those that purely comment on, or express personal opinions about the situation will get published. However, every now and then someone sends an anonymous comment that contains rumours of intended travel plans and overseas investments. Unless you are prepared to provide proper proof and documentation, those comments will not be published.
If you feel that you have facts that should be reported to the police or any other body (not that I think that you will be very successful), please report the matter, and then tell us about it on the blog. Please don't provide rumours and expect some or other reader to run to the authorities on your behalf - that is not what this blog is about.

We need a bit of help
There is an investigation under way by some investors who seemingly did not attend either of the two recent meetings Edwafin held with its investors. Apparently, and according to the documents, financial statements, were issued to the attendees, and we are urgently looking for copies of those documents. If anybody can help, please fax a copy to 0866621251 or send them by email to mkoppers@chromatique.com.

Please, your help would be very much appreciated, and might put me in a better mood as well.
Tomorrow the rest.

Was it Telepathy?; the count is two

As I was accounting my interaction with Mr JP Fourie of SAVCA yesterday, he was emailing me his response to my original letter concerning the behaviour of Edwabond/Edwafin. The letter is shown below, and essentially needs no further comment.

I do wish to thank JP for his clear and forthright response, which shows that SAVCA now is aware of the situation. Although I never expected SAVCA to take up the fight for me (us the investors), I am in a sense a bit disappointed, as the letter essentially states all the things we know already and much of what I have written about on this blog.

I am also not to sure about what the "answer I was looking for" alludes to, and my argument remains - and I repeat - that Companies like Edwabond use their affiliations to bodies and institutions like the NCC, FSB, and SAVCA, amongst others to create an aura of credibility, sincerity and professionalism around their activities and collection of other people's money. These bodies allow such companies to use their names, logos and acronyms to promote such illustrious images. But when the fan gets struck by unpleasant material, virtually all of them disappear into anonymity and hide behind a façade of non-commitment, and mumbo-jumbo.

One supposes, that once the scandal has been in the newspapers; after we have had many "I've told you so's", "will we ever learn?". and when ii is clear that we have all lost a great deal of money, the world just carries on turning in empty space, with acronyms, like NCC, FSB, SAVCA, CIPRO, etc. etc. continuing a life of their own - organisms cultivated by the human species, dotting the planet like a trail of remnants resulting from the hilarity of human activity.

Well, at least that makes two bodies we have had some kind of response from, the FSB and the SAVCA. For what it's worth - I'm depressed.

20090420 From Savca

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Business & Law Finance savca edwabond

Edwabond disappears from the ether

Now isn't that magic. Firstly, Google allowed me to add more pictures to my blog!

And then,

POOF!! like waking up empty handed after having received a handful of money in a dream, Edwabond longer is on the Internet! A sad day really, as this was one of the remaining vestiges that we the investors could visit to longingly look at the organization who dematerialized our money as well. It makes sense though: like dream, like money, like waking up, like empty site, like empty hands. Welcome to the world of realities - most of it (actually all of it) created by the I in You.

Hey! another one!

Let's talk about SAVCA and its EO Mr JP Fourie. JP Fourie is a very nice and decent man. I immediately liked him when I spoke to him on the phone, two weeks ago. What happened is this: SAVCA's info email was on the blogs email list (limited to 10) for a long time, and I was under the impression that they, like NCC, NPA, CIPRO, DTI, and other similar letters of importance were just not responding to the dire situation called the Edwafin Saga. I found another email address, this time of the Executive Office, Mr JP Fourie, and placed that on the email list.
It wasn't long before I received a phone call from JP (around 6 April 2009). He had been totally in the dark about the whole debacle surrounding one of his member companies. I was blown over and not a happy camper, but assumed that this was one of the "authorities", Patrick Stapleton would have mentioned his predicament to. But, not so. Can you also see the pattern? Those "authorities" and institutions who suffer from the short arm sickness, were enlightened by uncle Patrick, but he was careful to avoid those with more integrity and possibly oomph. At the request of JP, I wrote a formal letter on 8 April, concerning the situation with Edwafin and sent it immediately to him by email. I don't need to show you the letter as its contents is old meal for most of us now. The next day, JP acknowledged receipt of my letter and requested a few days time to respond to the letter (that was just before the long weekend). Well, it has been more than a week now, and there has been a meeting with Edwafin, NCC, and the FSB already, the postponement of the courtcase to 18 May, I have made up with Soraya, and the rest is as silent as the millisecond before the big bang - I was there, and heard it, do you remember?

And so the waiting was over but not over yet

Shaking hands, sleepless nights, no more long fingernails and then we have to wait some more.

Friends again
A bit of fine news is that the lady at GDLK Attorneys, Soraya Parker (a magical name, I must say) and I are now on good speaking terms - all is fine and well.

Also got a phone call from Mr Lawrence Muravha, yesterday, after I had announced the silence of the last few days. He is alive and well, and still working on matters. Pooh, Pooh, Mr Le Meme; Are we still out hunting Easter eggs, then?

THE COURT CASE
This Edwafin case was before court, and has been postponed once again until 18 May. It brings back memories of Stapleton informing me that he would stretch out any court case against him for many years and that we, the investors, would be unable to afford legal assistance against his high powered hounds of law. Is this just the beginning?

Perhaps the good news is that Edwafin did not yet win their case, and that the law still has a way to go - let's hope to the benefit of us all. Another source told me that their is a rumour that Edwafin has asked to be placed under judicial management. If that were so, it means that the investors in a sense has won, because the law then recognizes that there is something wrong with the company. Patrick and buddies would then have been proven wrong in their assumption that they could merely walk over their investors as if they were mere cobblestones on an old Roman path. Obviously, there might then also be the remote possibility of the company perhaps becoming profitable. On the other hand it takes away the power of any sequestrator to investigate the management style and goings on at Edwafin - if one could call it that.

A further rumours is that the staff has still not yet been paid their salaries.

From the start I have been in two minds about this matter. If Mrs Griffen had won her case, that would probably have spelled the end of the road for everyone. We all would have received something or nothing. Had Edwafin had its way, it would have given the management some opportunity of attempting to remedy the situation, as they had requested. I say this because visitors to this blog have said that Edwafin should be given a chance. Hell, one even sent an sms to Patrick asking him to "soldier on" - can you believe it! Although I am a generally rather positive person, I just don't see it, and one wonders if this is not just another month of wasted time, money and chance to bring things to an end. He, I hope I'm wrong - watch this blog when that happens.

Free for you
Yesterday I promised a free gift to everyone involved or associated with Edwafin. My business and practice is in Brainwave Entrainment, which is used to help condition and normalize brainwave frequencies in times of stress and uneasy. I don't want to use this blog to plug my practice so, if for some reason or other, you are not interested, read no more.

I have made available a free Entrainment session to help cope with anxiety and stress, and which may also be used even if you are on medication (provided you consult your doctor). It is free, you don't have to log in or register, or nothing. You can download it here: Schumann Resonance just scroll down until you get the file. The download button is at the bottom of the section, below the splurge. Pleas also read the short paragraph that describes the session and how to use it (just select, copy and paste to a text file). If you find that it works well for you, or if you have questions, please let me know at mkoppers@chromatique.com.

Can you hear my heart beat

An email from my lawyer just enquired why I had been so quiet during the last two days (bless her heart), while anonymous said it was waiting with abated breath.

I think South Africa at this moment has 4000 people who are blue in the face with holding their breath.

Even the FSB and NCC are abnormally silent (well not so abnormal for the NCC)- the others we know about and that is also just their norm.

Tomorrow I will give everybody connected to Edwafin a free download to help with the stress (if you want), and I will tell you more in the morning. We will wait and see, here is holding thumbs!

Short-Thumb Syndrome

Today I was going to take it easy. I thought that after a long weekend, news would be scares and I could therefore devote my time on some philosophical issues. One that especially attracted my attention is the "I Told You SO" and the "Shall We Ever Learn" phenomenon. Both are creations in one's own reality and as such are part of the archetypes that we surround ourselves with. But, because of a bit more exciting news, that will have to stand over until a bit later - perhaps tomorrow.

There are two interesting phenomena that needs to be mentioned here. The one is the short-arm syndrome. That kind affliction you encounter with institutions such as the DTI, CIPRO, NCC, NPA, etc . Most of these have been somewhere in the chronicles of this blog, and we won't spend a huge amount of time on this topic. Suffice it to say, that the Short-Arm syndrome is found in places where there are people with certain functions, but because they have sat with folded arms for such a long time, their arms have grown shorter and shorter - if you don't use it then you lose it, some would utter. As a result they are unable to even reach for a phone or pick up a pencil. Science believes that this is part of our evolution (similar to the process of the disappearing little toe, or redundant wisdom teeth), and that given enough time such individuals will gradually melt away like candy floss in one's mouth. Wouldn't that save us some tax payer's money!

More seriously is today's main issue: the syndrome of the fast - shrinking thumbs. This is mainly caused by excessive thumb sucking. Not only can this cause a putrid smell, but one's thumb becomes smaller and smaller. Eventually one only has stinking thumbless hands left.
It appears that at a certain Durban company, this has become pandemic, and that many officials and working staff no longer have any thumbs left to speak of, and are now beginning to lick at their other fingers - the scourge of the Thumb-Suckers (where is Stephen King now).

Yesterday we accounted the incident at a recent meeting with Edwafin and stakeholders, in which the brave Don Hutchinson announced that the law suite by Mrs Griffin "is being successfully defended and already put to bed." My dear friend, Patrick Stapleton, added that the lady had been negotiated with to get her to withdraw her application. What people didn't notice was that both Don and Patrick were surreptitiously putting their thumbs in their mouths to give it a suck or two. Now, one of my good friends that I gained through this writing, sent me an interesting email this morning. Remember, the attorneys firm, GDLK, that I spoke about yesterday? - well the email is self explanatory, and it seems that we as investors rank rather low on the list:

20090414 Jean Smal

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Contraditions?

Gmail only allows one to have 10 emails on a list and to which updates of the blog are sent directly. Today I had to removed the email address of CIPRO/DTI from the blog's list as I am now convinced they no longer exist. I have tried to phone them, write to them and send telepathic messages to them - nothing; everything disappears into the ether - they are now part of a totally different reality.
Instead I added a new address to the list: that of Geyser, Du Toit, Louw & Kitching Inc. I sense that there is an event in the making here. Let me thank all those who responded to my request by sending me a copy of the letter dispatched by the above mentioned attorneys.

Let us start at the beginning.
This blog has mentioned, with some disgust, the disdainful manner in which Patrick Stapleton reacted towards Griffen's lawsuite against Edwafin. Keep in mind that the contemptious attitude he displays against her, he shows to us all. Some of us have personal experience of this.
Nevertheless, we were all waiting with abated breath for 17 April, when the matter would be before court again. Then around the beginning of April a letter from Edwafin containing the minutes of a public meeting stated, Don (in an arrogant tone of voice) pooh-poohed the legal action taken by a certain Mrs:

"... He confirmed that this action is being successfully defended and already put to bed."

The lawyer who asked the originally asked the question was not satisfied and contradicted Don's arrogant, presumptuousness with:

"...An application has been made for provisional liquidation and has been set down for arguments on April 17th. It does not mean that it has been successfully defended."

Realizing that Don's magic was shortcoming, Patrick, with his own brand of flashiness, intervened:

"Patrick clarified that the previous evening the company's attorney had met with the creditor in order to negotiate a withdrawal of the application and the attorney is amenable to us doing it."
"Don apologized for using the wrong legal terminology."

Don, Don, Don, - how embarrassing! You have still so much to learn from the master!

Hang on one minute, though! Now we have a letter circulating from a company called GDLK Attorneys, (dated 3/4/2009) and they are asking people to nominate them to take care of the liquidation of Edwafin. I never received the letter personally (secretly I feel affronted), but various readers forwarded me a copy last week. The letter basically sets out what we know already, and thought was no longer going to happen: Mrs Griffen's court case, and then states as point 4:

"The purpose of this letter is, in the first instance, to inform you that the writer will be prepared to accept an appointment [as one of the liquidators]. Further, that if the order is granted, the writer will be prepared to undertake an enquiry into the reasons for the company's demise and in particular to determine whether any person is responsible to compensate the company for any potential losses which either it or its creditors mey have suffered."

Confused? Yes, me too. Don and Patrick are convinced that Mrs Griffen has been won over, yet here we have an attorney who wants to do the liquidation, and if you want them to do it, you may respond kindly in a variety of ways.

So, on Thursday I phoned GDLK Attorneys to try and find out what was happening, but the writer, of the letter AJL Geyser was away for the weekend already. Instead I spoke to a lady, who's name I can't remember and who was as eager to speak to me as a melted, hot, chocolate Easter egg. I naively informed her who I was, and that I might also be interested in any action they were going to undertake against Edwafin. I also informed her that I had learnt of various travel plans, and I'm afraid that that killed the last little flame of affection between me and the nice lady. Nevertheless, I kept my friendly disposition, and asked her to clarify how it was possible for them to offer the liquidation of a company, when Mrs Griffen had been convinced to withdraw her case.

(Now, readers will know that I am already easily baffled by the mysteries that life presents while we silently orbit our sun, which in turn orbits the Milkyway of our galaxy.) And here, this sweet little lady complicates it all by telling me that the two have nothing to do with each other - point No 1, 2 and 3 on the letter from GDLK attorneys, dated 3/4/2009, have nothing to do with point No 4. Obviously, it makes sense in a way. There are probably other Mrs Griffins (me included) who would pursue a legal case against Edwafin, and when it comes to selecting liquidators, we have already been nominated. Neat!

Oops, that rat I though I noticed, was an Easter bunny, after all.

We had a meeting last Thursday

If you eagerly logged into the blog to find out about any news concerning last Thursday's meeting between Edwabond, the FSB, and the NCC, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. I have a suspicion, that anything anybody has to say about this matter - if there is anything to say, will be in the press and probably after the long weekend. Of course this will give everybody the opportunity to enjoy they chocolate Easter eggs.

Of the three participants I must say that I have no doubts about the FSB'. Mr Lawrence Muravha has shown himself to be capable, sincere and above board. He has continuously responded positively to questions and issues, and seems to have an open attitude with the public's interest at heart. Mr le Meme, and the NCC does concern me somewhat. Their manner of handling my enquiry was extremely slick and somewhat evasive, or am I mistaken? But then I might be mistaken in the belief that they have any responsibility to the public, and perhaps their purpose in life is to make companies look good by proudly displaying NCC as part of their armament of credentials.

The third party was, of course, Edwabond, with Carole Gardiner at the helm. She is the person who takes your money, and then follows it up with the advice to consult with a debt advisor (that is if you still have another income of sorts), if they cannot pay you your interest. Now, isn't that extremely humane and helpful - the ultimate in feminine vindictiveness? Caroline Myss, the author, refers to this archetype as the "consuming-mother" figure - they gobble up that which they nurture and maternally produce.

Perhaps I am not taking this meeting too seriously, because I do n ot perceive it having much effect on the outcome of our, the investor's, struggle to get some equity from Edwafin. Yes, it would be with some satisfaction that I would learn of the revoking of Edwabond's licence - at least it would hinder them somewhat in taking others for a merry ride - but it would not return us our money.

A bit of trivia:
I refuse to add the word Edwafin to my spell checkers list of legitimate words. As a result, every time I type "Edwafin" the word processor suggests the words "deafen" and "deathen", like in the deafening silence of our deathening interest payments.

Jingle, Jingle, Jingle

Yesterday I finally received my copy of the letter that accompanied the minutes of the meeting held under the auspices of Edwafin on 17 March 2009.

On opening the letter, a huge cloud of smoke emerged from the depths of the envelope, and when i tried to retrieve the rest of its contents, there was the jingling of shards or mirror. When I finally got to the documents, I understood why.

I have not yet spoken much about Don Hutchinson, the actual financial wizard of Edwafin (in a previous blog I had referred to Brian Poliah as the wizard, yet wizards they all be), and if I reckoned that Stapleton was a conjurer, then here we have a true emulator of Derren Brown. The main difference is that Derren Brown is successful.

The first three paragraphs is no more than a rehash of the oft-repeated structure of Edwafin and its fast diminishing organogram (I just love that word and found it on the now extinct Edwafin web siten - it's so earthy). Then it is stated that July 2008 was a record month, and one presumes that that is in terms of capital raised via debentures for the purpose of the groups business operations. Note that he doesn't mention what the "business operations"are. He continues that the following months were dismal as few debentures were issued and this is where the countries appalling financial situation begins to have an effect. Now, that they are not receiving any more capital via debentures, the money to pay investors is beginning to dry up. No mention is made of any income generated through business ventures, or that such hypothetical business is effected by the bad economic climate. Yet, he starts the same paragraph with the words "...Edwafinj is essentially a venture capital group, i.e. public funds are taken and invested in projects and companies that produce revenue streams and capital growth ...". Which projects? which companies? which revenue streams?

And then he admits it: "The company's cash reserves became fully depleted by the end of November beginning December 2008." Is that not a miracle? without any business generating finance, and no more interested investors - hey, no more money. We must keep that in mind for future reference.

Hutchinson, of course does not put the investors' minds at rest by assuring them that all the investments are covered by adequate assets.

Then he carries on by stating that they are expecting R40,000,000 from somewhere, first in November and then April/May. Yet, later on in the letter, Stapleton pegs the date to be in June 2009 (reminds me of the song "And my hat blows, blows, blows in the wind"). I wonder if that investors name is Paul or perhaps Peter? In any case we are now past the end of April and one word applies: zilch.

Then rainbow paints was sold - it was profitable though. If something is doing well and is managed properly, then you sell it don't you? So that you no longer have to receive the income from it. This is not the whole story according to what I have received from various sources.

And then again we have the sleight of hand: "Edwafin is profitable but is has suffered hugely in terms of cash flow shortage." Yep. "There are prospects on the horizon" - now isn't that telling us something!
Then follows a whole account of off-shore investments, that they cannot lay their hands on, and peculiar set of measures that the company is undertaking and that one would have expected from a responsible company in any case. Then some more promises, conjectures, counting chicks before they bred, and pie in the sky rantings.

Actual bottom line
And then came the actual crunch, his recommendations (two of them essentially):

• No more interest payments for the rest of the year.
• No more capital refunds for the rest of the year.
• He is essentially recommending that they break the law! In his arrogance is forgets that not only is he recommending that the contractual agreements be broken with investors, but that he and brother Stapleton have already done so unilaterally already. That should entice new investors into the Edwafin fold.
  

But that is not the end of it

• He actually asks those at the meeting for more money. Those poor pensioners have to contribute more (5 to 7 million Rand) to make DMC a success. My word, that must have taken gutspa.
  

The rest of the correspondence covers questions asked by the investors and the predominant question was concerning the refund of their investment capital. Key to the response was Mr Hutchinson's statement that

"if funds were not available to pay the interest then it stands to reason that the capital cannot be paid.... The business is solvent but assets cannot be converted into cash quick enough."

Now, I ask you with tears in my eyes, what assets are being converted into cash? Are the banks not prepared to finance a good part of that fantastic car, the DMC? (you must read the rants and rave of Stapleton about this vehicle, but nobody seems interested in financing it). It is a pity that the company did not have the foresight of including the balance sheet with the circular, it might just have made the whole episode a bit more believable.

Patrick, if you were still wondering why I did not keep my word about publishing this blog, then wonder no more. Your colleague, and you (a tiny bit) has provided the answers yourself - you never had the intention to refund me, like you don't have the intention to refund anybody else. At the same time you hold the investors at randsom with the threat of financial ruin should they persue the issue.

And then their was a bit of showmanship (shame on you Patrick). Stapleton asked that people put up their hands if the had not received interest payments before August. The note says: "No one raised their hands". You old rascal, you, back on the old economic crises again; you had no business of any consequence at that time and you only relied on new investors, as you still do now . Now, even I saw through that little trick of deception.

It is my confirmed conviction that people may believe what they want, and naturally may act accordingly. That is part of the universal spirit that pervades us all. I must admit though, that I personally have difficulties in understanding that certain souls cannot perceive the archetype of deception, when it presented to them on a platter - this is exclusively my opinion. Yes, I'll have to come back to this earthly place again, just to try and understand that.

New Edwafin Business Dictionary available soon

I suspect that, in an effort to expand on it meagre business activities, Edwafin is working on a new edition of an English business dictionary. I have selected a few words, which have been given new meaning by its learned management, whilst some have been removed completely since they are seemingly redundant.

An example of the expansion of the meaning of the word "truth". Collins describes it as

<--- Collins Cobuild English Dictionary --->
truth
truth truths
1. The truth about something is all the facts about it, rather than things that are imagined or invented.

We have all experienced the interpretation that Edwafin management gives to the word truth: it is something that is so, or will happen on a certain date, or perhaps it won't. At least it leave the choice to reader to imbue it with a value that is most suitable.

More fun are the words that are totally removed from the vocabulary, essentially because they have become devoid of any meaning. For example the words bankrupt and insolvent:

<--- Collins Cobuild English Dictionary --->
bankrupt
bank.rupt
bankrupt bankrupts bankrupting bankrupted
1. People or organizations that go bankrupt do not have enough money to pay their debts. (BUSINESS)

1 without enough money to pay what you owe: insolvent
...
someone who has officially said that they cannot pay their debts

These words are replaced according to Edwafin (alias Patrick Stapleton) by the words "cash flow problem." This would again mean that the meaning of the phrase would have to be changed:

<--- Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary --->
cash flow
FUNCTION: noun
DATE: 1954

1 : a measure of an organization's liquidity that usually consists of net income after taxes plus noncash charges against income
2 : a flow of cash especially : one that provides solvency

The American Heritage Dictionary has a very quaint slant on the phrase "Cash Flow"

<--- American Heritage Dictionary --->
cash flow
cash flow n.
1. ...
2. The cash receipts or net income from one or more assets for a given period, reckoned after taxes and other disbursements, and often used as a measure of corporate worth.

Based on the above it appears that the term "cash flow" is in reality a function of the terms bankrupt and insolvent. Therefore, if you are unable to pay your debts, and don't have the assets to cover those debts, then, according to the new Edwafin interpretation, you have a cash flow problem. The terms bankrupt and insolvent no longer have their traditional meaning. There is of course one context in which it still can be used:

<--- American Heritage Thesaurus --->
bankrupt
1...
2...
3...
4. If you say that something is bankrupt, you are emphasizing that it lacks any value or worth.
He really thinks that European civilisation is morally bankrupt.

Housekeeping - NCC back on the list; SAVCA? and statistics

The morning was long, and gave me ample opportunity to think about my blogging activities. First I had to get up along with the birds because my licence had to be renewed. I discovered that my old licence had expired some days ago, and anticipated a good few hours in a queue with assorted fellow citizens. Not so! No waiting in line, and after half an hour we were back home, temporary licence in my pocket. Yes, its good to be legal again. I need to compliment the Tshwane council with their excellent, pleasant and efficient service.

Before I get to the statistics of the blog, I need to make some announcements:

NCC back in the loop
The NCC is back on the email list, and this time Clive le Meme will receive all the blog updates and comments as a direct feed. Now, I must add that I do this with some hesitation, as they don't seem like a very cooperative lot, and it is my sense that they are not friendly either. The reason why I decided to let them be in the first place, is that I considered them of little consequence in the matter of Edwafin. However, after some thought and after listening to the little devil on my shoulder, I fully realize that they are solidly involved in the Edwafin debacle. Let's be honest, their acronym appears on the brochures of Edwabond, the folks that dealt with the marketing of our dentures.

I quote again from the NCC's website:

We undertake to perform a risk management due diligence of our client’s practice and thereafter implement a compliance monitoring system that will not only exceed the requirements of the legislation but will also help to maintain the profitability of the practice.

According to Mr Le Meme they have been in contact with Edwabond since October last year, which to me is an indication that they must have been aware of the brewing problems since then. The question is now: "What did they do to try and remedy the situation?" Le Meme states in an email that he is satisfied that they complied with their brief, but where do we see any of the results. Is it not for us the public to decide whether a public body like the NCC has fulfilled their brief? How is it that six months later we have to deal with this mess, while the NCC has seemingly been silent all that time. One wonders what the NCC did to help maintain the profitability of Edwaband/Edwafin, or how the company was allowed to continue its activities, while they were aware of the financial difficulties.
As mentioned before, Mr Le Meme will receive our regular updates, and if he prefers not to, I shall replace his address with that of the CEO of the NCC, Adv. Opperman.
Tut, tut, tut, Mr Le Meme, we are waiting with abated breath on information about your activities in respect of Edwafin.

SAVCA revisited
You may remember that SAVCA was mentioned in the same breath as the NCC, and they were also placed on the email list. At least the NCC responded in a manner of sorts, but SAVCA is a quiet as the local graveyard that was raided by the ghost busters. Alas we found another email address, the executive officer, Mr JP Fourie, and he will be receiving updates from this blog in future. I repeat my previous quote taken from the site of SAVCA:
The codes of conduct of the SAVCA includes the following clauses:

Members will conduct their business in a responsible way and will not engage in practices which would be damaging to the image and interests of the venture capital and private equity industries.

Members will assure a high standard of their investment portfolio and will avoid financing enterprises or participating in activities which are contrary to these goals. They will take a long term view of the economy and private equity and venture capital industries, rather than engage in short-term speculation.

Each member shall promote and maintain ethical standards of conduct and deal fairly and honestly with all business concerns seeking its assistance, with all companies to or with whom it makes loans or investments, and with all other private equity and venture capital companies.

No venture capital or private equity fund may be used to promote the welfare or assist its directors, managers, employees, nominees, and representatives, except insofar as they benefit from the success of the fund according to established compensation and profit sharing contracts.

Members will be accountable to their investors by fully disclosed operating and financial reports.

Unethical conduct will be deemed to include any evasive device intended to conceal non-compliance with the Code of Conduct and any regulations enacted by the proposed Professional Standards Committee, designated by the committee of SAVCA for its enforcement.

Members will abide by the code of conduct and all rulings and regulations issued by the proposed Professional Standards Committee designated by SAVCA committee.

Isn't it interesting, but perhaps typical, that two of the more important bodies who's emblems and acronyms were used to promote Edwabond, are now tiptoeing through the tulips. One presumes that their work is easy when all goes well, but that it increases in complexity when trouble brews and actual active attention needs to be given to resolving a problem.

Statistics
A few days ago, I installed a statistics module in this blog, and I'm sorry that I had not thought of it before, as one has no idea about how many people have visited the site since its inception. Some figures for the period 6 April until today (2.5 days):

Total visitors: 488
Documents accessed: 186

Entering the sixth month of financial draught

As we statrted April, we started the sixth month of essentially non-payment by Edwafin. For me it is also thee fourth month that I have been trying to get my investment back from our friend Stapleton.
Perhaps you will recall that NCC is used as a credential on the promotional material of Edwabond, the Edwafin subsidiary that promotes and handles the debenture products. A few days ago I added the email address of the CEO of the NCC to the blog mailing list. I sense that that did not go down well.
Somewhere I missed a beat or two, as the NCC's Clive le Meme informed me via email that they have been in contact with Edwabond since October last year already, and that he will be attending the meeting with the FSB and Edwabond on 8 April. As far as I was aware, the problems around Edwafin (and its subsidiaries) only became the subject of government scrutiny during recent weeks. Anyway, read for yourself:
20090404 Email From CNN 1

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I removed the NCC's email from the list as it is clear that we don't share the same planet, and that we have to do here with a highly evolved species that clearly does like interacting with standard humans. Thus I provided Mr Le Meme, with my arguments:
20090404 Mario Responds to CNN 1

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To which the response was:
20090404 Email From CNN 2

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Well, clearly that was the wrong address, and is a clear indication that elements of 19th century snobbery is well an alive in the 21st century. The point that I tried to convey to Mr Le Meme is that people bought into Edwabond/Edwafin based on various factors, and one of those is the credibility that organizations like the NCC gives to such a financial institution. Five/six months after things begin to collapse at Edwafin, they provide the enquirer with a curt "we feel that we have done enough, and our duty." My -my, during those intervening months attempts were still made by Edwabond to rope investors into their scheme.

But let us forget about the NCC. An important aspect emerged from my interaction with the "entity" as Mr Le Meme refers to the NCC. Both the FSB and the NCC, can only deal with Edwabond, and have little jurisdiction over Edwafin, if any. Beside revoking Edwabonds licence, they have little to contribute to recovering any or some of the investors money. or to bring any perpetrators to book. It would, therefore, be prudent to rather concentrate efforts on recovering our money via other legal means, and on reporting progress that may be made by other Government bodies. I must say, though, that most of them are extremely quiet.