THOUSANDS in the Eastern Cape have come forward as complainants in a multi-billion dollar class action lawsuit against some of South Africa’s top international firms. The firms, which include Mercedes- Benz (Daimler), IBM, General Motors and Ford, will be taken to task for their alleged role in aiding the apartheid regime…The case will be heard before a United States court on January 6. The US government called on Tuesday for the dismissal of an appeal by the firms…The South African Council of Churches had also shown their support through general secretary Eddie Makue .