DA tackles Bell Pottinger

The DA has written to the UKbased Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA) and Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) to lodge formal complaints against Bell Pottinger for allegedly promoting racial hatred in South Africa.

The president’s son, Duduzane Zuma, pictured, a Gupta employee, procured the services of Bell Pottinger in an apparent attempt to “divide and conquer the SA public by exploiting racial tensions” to keep Zuma and the ANC in power, DA spokesperson Phumzile van Damme said yesterday.

Bell Pottinger is a PRCA and CIPR member, she said. Section 4 of the PRCA Professional Charter states: “[A] member is required to take all reasonable care that professional duties are conducted without causing offence on the grounds of … race … or any other form of discrimination or unacceptable reference”.

The CIPR code of conduct states that members agree to respect the legal and regulatory frameworks of all countries they practise in.

In a leaked Gupta e-mail, Nick Lambert, senior advisor at Bell Pottinger, identified “key moments” in a speech by ANC Youth League leader Collen Maine. These included the quote: “Those who want to disrupt the State Of The Nation speech must prepare themselves for a civil war.”

She said: “It is disturbing that the incitement of civil war in SA is identified as a ‘key moment’ by a Bell Pottinger advisor.”

Another e-mail showed Bell Pottinger financial and corporate partner, Victoria Geoghegan, met with Duduzane Zuma to strategise a campaign to market a “narrative that grabs the attention of the grassroots population who must identify with it, connect with it and feel united by it”. – ANA