Segmentation fault from inside transforms

I'm trying to build matplotlib and I'm getting a segmentation fault when I do:

from matplotlib import *

I've traced the fault down to the transforms module.

My first attempt used:
gcc 3.3.2
Python 2.3.3
numarray 1.1
gdmodule 0.52
gd 2.0.28
freetype 2.1.9
agg 22
matplotlib 0.63.4

In this version _na_transform segementation faults at this line:
   static _transforms_module* _transforms = new _transforms_module;

I traced the fault down to the ExtensionModuleBaseClass where it attempts to call: __Py_PackageContext()

It looks to me like this function is trying to access the variable (which it dereferences WITHOUT checking for a null pointer).
static char **ptr__Py_PackageContext = NULL;

This ptr gets init'ed in the function InitialisePythonIndirectInterface() but I can't find anywhere that function is being called.

FYI: I also tried matplotlib 0.62.4 and I get the same error.

Can anybody figure out what's happening to me?
Thanks,
Ted