PR firm’s done great disservice to SA
LETTER to James Henderson, of Bell Pottinger, who has apologised to South African citizens for creating racial disharmony (“Bell Pottinger sacks partner in Gupta saga”, July 7):
Mr Henderson, this is not good enough.
South Africans are working through the scars which apartheid created.
Racial division is in the healing process.
We’re not as stupid as you think we are.
All races realise the responsibility that exists for us all to live in harmony.
But along you come, with the greedy, wealthy Guptas, whose sole interest is to make themselves mega-rich and mega-powerful at the expense of our struggling nation.
Together you rekindle the fire of racial antagonism to deflect the spotlight which is on the Zumas and the Guptas, the two families who through corruption are ruining this country and mostly hurting the masses of poor people. You are disgusting. What you and the Zuma-Guptas have done is unforgivable.
A mere apology cannot undo this racial damage.
You’ve had your tiny moment of glory and even the ANC people you tried to fool are on to you.
It’s probable that you’ve just permanently messed up any hold Guptas could have on this country.
There were some who cottoned on to your reflective tactics and only a few extremists were fooled.
It’s a clever way of deflecting attention regarding Jacob Zuma and the Guptas’ alleged illegal activities away from them, but it’s unethical in good business practice to do this.
But you don’t seem to care about that.
What a price you expected South Africa to pay for the benefit of a small group of well placed, already-rich people to get even wealthier.
It’s as bad as an arms dealer selling arms to two conflicting sides in a country, to create a civil war.
Well, we’re on to you, and South Africans are being made aware that many, many people in this ANC government are untrustworthy and crooked to the core.
At least that was good exposure.
And have you read the Gupta e-mails? Intriguing reading!
Now those who are honest are being told to toe the party line and not support the vote of no confidence in our opportunistic president. What a laugh.
Your campaign has broken open the ANC solidarity and many don’t accept the party line voting idea in this important instance. Some are even openly declaring that they’ll vote according to their consciences.
They see that Zuma’s not worthy of this support.
Not only should he be voted out of the presidential office which he has betrayed, but he should also be charged and, if found guilty, jailed, forfeiting all his ill-gotten gains and all his presidential privileges.
I know that there are still some honest people on the ANC benches of parliament.
Mr Henderson and Bell Pottinger, I hope this action of yours will be followed up by powerful people and that you will be made to compensate financially for the wrong you have done to our struggling nation.
You don’t live here, so you probably don’t care.
You probably see us as insignificant, a small nation of no value.
Well, if this is the impression which Zuma and the Gupta family have given you, we’ve got news for you.
We’ve always punched above our fighting weight and we will do our best, in time, to get even with you.
But first we have the little problem of teaching our citizens again that racial attitudes are bad – from both sides.
J P, Port Elizabeth