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They were not the big names of the struggle against apartheid, and their stories did not make headlines. But they, too, were raped, tortured and imprisoned by the former regime.

Still awaiting compensation from the current government, scores of apartheid victims have pinned their hopes on the distant courts of the United States, where lawsuits have been filed against top international corporations they claim helped prop up the racist government.

US Attorney Michael Hausfeld, second from left, addresses a community meeting to discuss lawsuits seeking compensation from top international banks and businesses they claim helped prop up the former apartheid racist government in Sharpeville, South Africa, Oct. 21, 2003. Left to right are local facilitators Thandi Shezi, Ike Tlholwe and Charles Abrahams.  [AP]

Khulumani, a support group for apartheid victims, filed one such suit in New York last November against 20 multinational corporations, including ChevronTexaco and IBM, for what its lawyers said was "knowingly aiding and abetting the apartheid enterprise."

The corporations who have commented have vowed to fight the lawsuits.

"ExxonMobil condemns the violation of human rights in any form," said Sandra Duhe, a spokeswoman for the Texas-based company. "The apartheid era was a tragic chapter of South Africa's history, and this lawsuit is not helping the South African people or economic development of the nation."

On Tuesday, Michael Hausfeld, the U.S. lawyer representing the 80 Khulumani members who have filed suit, met with the group to share their stories and field questions.

Meanwhile, another U.S. lawyer, Ed Fagan — who came to prominence in a landmark $1.25 billion settlement with Swiss corporations on behalf of Holocaust victims — met with his South African clients in Sasolburg, a small town about 40 miles south of Johannesburg.

He has filed a class-action lawsuit in New York on behalf of those who suffered occupational disabilities and lost pension funds during apartheid.

President Thabo Mbeki repeatedly has said his government would not support the lawsuits, a disappointment to those who hoped the government would be sympathetic.

To date, the only avenue for reparations was through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, formed to help heal apartheid's wounds.

The commission decided on a one-time government payment of $92.4 million, but only to the 22,000 victims who testified in the hearings.

It has left people like Thomas Masilo empty-handed.

Masilo, 62, was in the crowd of demonstrators shot upon by apartheid police in the town of Sharpeville in 1960. Sixty-nine people were killed, among them two of his cousins and an uncle.

He crawled 300 yards amid gunfire to safety, passing those crumpled to the ground with bullets in their backs.

What became known as the Sharpeville massacre was a turning point in the struggle against apartheid, exposing the oppressive reach of the regime.

Masilo, who is unemployed and joined the suit on behalf of his dead relatives, said he was disappointed by the government's stance.

"Must I go pinch? Become a criminal? An old man like me? That's what the government is making me do," he said.

At the meeting in a dusty gym in the poor town of Sasolburg, Silas Mokwena, a 48-year-old pipe fitter said the money was desperately needed.

The ruling African National Congress "is not good for us," he said. "We were expecting money so that we can pay for our kids' education and the money has not come through."

Abraham Motloung, 45, said he has faith in Fagan's lawsuit, adding they were the only ones who have reached out to his community.

"We had the National Party (the ruling party during apartheid), it was not good for us. We have the ANC, it is not good for us. Why should we vote? ... They are both the same," said Motloung, who has never been employed.

The lawsuit is based on U.S. law that gives American courts jurisdiction over violations of international law, regardless of where they occur. It points to several businesses, including automobile makers it says provided armored vehicles used to patrol black townships and arms manufacturers and oil companies it says violated international sanctions imposed to protest the apartheid regime.

Government officials have said South Africa's problems should be resolved at home.

Apartheid began in 1948 and was held together by a web of racist laws that stripped even the most basic rights from those who were not white.

As efforts to overthrow the white regime grew, authorities began jailing some opponents, killing others without trial and forcing many into exile. Apartheid ended in 1994, with the nation's first all-race elections.

Hausfeld said if the current lawsuit fails, he will appeal. The victims "should never give up hope," he said.

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