BONO CHARITY ABUSE SHAME
BONO has apologised after it was alleged employees at his charity were subjected to bullying and abuse.
The U2 frontman said he was “furious” when he learned of the claims at ONE, an anti-poverty body he co-founded, in November.
In a statement, the 57-year-old insisted he “can’t stand bullying” and it goes against the reasons why the organisation was set up.
He said ONE failed to protect some staff at its office in Johannesburg, South Africa, adding: “I need to take some responsibility for that.”
The Dubliner’s comments come after a number of allegations were revealed, including a claim from a woman who said she was demoted after refusing to have sex with a Tanzanian MP.
Bono told the Mail On Sunday: “We are all deeply sorry. I hate bullying, can’t stand it.
“The poorest people in the poorest places being bullied by their circumstance is the reason we set up ONE. So to discover last November that there were serious and multiple allegations of bullying in our office in Johannesburg left me and the ONE board reeling and furious.”
The charity’s chief Gayle Smith said evidence of unprofessional conduct” and “bullying and belittling of staff ” between 2011 and 2015 was uncovered during an investigation.
She added: “Staff were called names, and some said their manager put them to work on domestic tasks in her home.
“The investigation also found the situation was not adequately addressed nor resolved by executive management at the time, and that ONE’S board was not properly or fully informed.”
Commenting on the claim made by the woman about being demoted, Smith said: “We have not been able to corroborate these appalling claims.
“We do not discount any allegation we investigate them and will continue to do so should others arise.”
Meanwhile, Bono said he would like to meet the employees who experienced issues to apologise to them in person. Charity chief Bono