Not sure how well known this story is in the UK but the company concerned have been implicated in stirring racial tension in South Africa and conducting "Fake News" campaigns in favour of their clients - the Gupta family - who are implicated in the State Capture scandal currently rocking the country.
They have now issued a statement admitting wrongdoing but blaming low level employees and saying that management were "mislead" . . . .
[url= http://www.fin24.com/Companies/Investment-Holdings/crunch-time-for-bellpottinger-over-dirty-tricks-for-guptas-oakbay-20170706 ]News Report[/url]
Tim Bell has a long list of people he has abused, including himself. A nasty piece of Thatcherite work.
Not very good at personal PR then.
On the one hand racists, on the other incompetent managers and no alternative to these two choices.
I am currently living in SA. The racial tensions is very high at the moment.
You almost get the feeling that it could properly kick off any day. (hope fully not!!)
Very very sad state of affairs, as SA is a beautiful country with loads of potential!!!!
15-20 years ago there was a lot of external investment into SA but it is the corruption that's done massive damage and lots of northern-hemisphere businesses have walked away. I ran a strategic review involving some SA and Botswana businesses but the risks were too great...
Back In 2011 BellPottinger were called out on charges regarding their "manipulating Wiki pages with false information". Their defense was that they "didn't break any laws"
Not a lot of "Moral compass" going on there then!
[url= http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/wikipedia-founder-attacks-bell-pottinger-for-ethical-blindness-6273836.html ]Wiki Manipulation [/url]
South African friend of mine in Cape Town is bleating on about how great it is that CT-hq'd retail corporations are buying up a number of large UK high street brands. What he doesn't realise is that this is divestment out of the country, under better political leadership this would be vital capital which would otherwise be used for much-needed domestic devolopment.
4 people I know have been murdered in SA this year in the North of the Country and the racial tension that this repulsive company have manipulated is criminal.
The problem is that they have also stirred up tribalism as many people in the black community of SA are slowly but surely turning against the ANC so Zuma and his rotten cronies are desperately clinging on to power.
This was known about in the higher echelons of BellPottinger and a proper investigation and possible criminal actions should be taken.
A morally bankrupt publicity company helps corrupt family and dis-honest president distract attention away from their own illegal activities. So let's just concentrate on the publicity company. Why? How about the criminal activities of all involved?
There are people in SA trying by every means available to have the president removed and and Guptas bought to justice. The Guptas scappered to Dubai as soon as things started to unravel and the President has surrounded himself with enough powerful allies that he can't seem to be touched. Bearing in mind there are 783 outstanding charges of corruption against him - that's no mean feat!
Its a very sad state of affairs.
My daughter and wife leave for the UK in a few months, I will join therm early next year.
Dose anybody have a job for me.. 😉
Keep us updated on The Hub Dave. Good luck.
nice to see some progress being made.
[url] https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/national/2017-07-19-backlash-heat-increases-on-bell-pottinger/ [/url]
BBC Documentary:
[url= http://www.biznews.com/guptaleaks/2017/07/31/bell-pottinger-maimane/ ]South Africas Leader of the opposition hopes to bring down UK PR Firm[/url]
Thanks spekkie for starting this thread; I visit SA on business and love the country and am also terribly worried about what's going on at the Presidency. I have to admit I was ignorant about Bell Potter.
Keep us posted jugheaddave - where in the UK do you hope to settle?
Thanks for this. We are (were!) about to do some work with Bell Pottinger. Not any more!
Hurray for dpfr. This lot appear rotten to the core and only sad that they got found out.
[url= http://m.news24.com/news24/SouthAfrica/News/at-worst-we-were-naive-bell-pottinger-ceo-tells-bbc-20170802 ]I call bullshit![/url]
No not naive, sorry Mr CEO but no one is going to fall for that shitty excuse. You don't get to be as rich as you are by being "naive". Scheming, greedy, unethical, bad, morally wrong, wicked, evil, foul, unprincipled, unscrupulous, dishonorable, dishonest, unconscionable, iniquitous, disreputable, corrupt, depraved, vile, villainous, nefarious, base, miscreant - take your pick, but Naive? No.
I am assuming that spekkie must know some very capable lawyers
Bell Pottinger chief Henderson quits over S Africa campaign . . . .
[url] http://www.bbc.com/news/business-41142478 [/url]
"Bell Pottinger has been expelled from the UK public relations trade body after it worked on a controversial contract in South Africa which led to accusations of inciting racial hatred."
[url] http://www.bbc.com/news/av/business-41156101/bell-pottinger-founder-almost-certainly-curtains-for-pr-firm [/url]
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Am aware of several businesses who are now reviewing their PR support....
Interesting history of the Pottinger family line here:
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2017/09/the-appalling-pottingers/
Hmm GFG Alliance own a lot of land around where I live.
sounds like a lovely place to work!
Bell Pottinger in administration
http://www.cityam.com/271888/bell-pottinger-collapses-into-administration-bdo-confirms
Result! Scum.
Next, [url= https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/companies/financial-services/2017-09-11-how-kpmg-served-guptas-for-years/ ]KPMG[/url]
Great news. These people did some really bad stuff and hurt a lot of people.
Would be good if the people that paid them to do what they did could also be bought to book but it's highly unlikely.
More on the KPMG links to Gupta https://www.ft.com/content/4d760ca4-97c4-11e7-b83c-9588e51488a0
KPMG complied a report alleging that Pravin Gordhan, the Finance Minister of South Africa, was involved in a rogue SARS unit. (South African Revenue Service)
This information was instrumental in leading to him being sacked. He was an opponent of the Zuma/Gupta "State Capture" saga and possibly the only person standing between them and the theft of untold billions from the state coffers.
Now, KPMG have retracted their report . . . but, as with BP, the damage is done and the money is gone.
KPMG appear to be in deep trouble right now . . .
[url] http://ewn.co.za/2017/09/15/kpmg-withdraws-sars-spy-unit-report-s-findings [/url]
JOHANNESBURG - JSE-listed financial services group Sasfin today announced it had ended its 18-year relationship with KPMG as the audit firm struggles to clean up its image after being tainted by Gupta links and its shoddy South African Revenue Services (Sars)
Cape Town - Parliament has become the latest institution to cut ties with KPMG following its revelations on the Guptas and the SARS rogue unit report.
The institution announced on Wednesday that its medical aid scheme, Parmed, would cancel its contract with KPMG.
The scheme is chaired by Deputy Speaker Lechesa Tsenoli.
In another development Parliament said it was reviewing its other contract with the auditing firm.
Tsenoli said the decision to cut ties with KPMG for its medical scheme for MPs was taken based on the risk associated with the firm.
[url= https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/parliament-cuts-ties-with-kpmg-11380996 ]KPMG[/url]