Deepening scandal threatens South Africa’s government
The world’s most controversial public relations firm – spin doctors for Syria’s first lady Asma al-Assad, Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius – is at the centre of a deepening scandal that reaches to the top of the South African government.
Bell Pottinger was found to have manipulated fake news and played on racial animosity in South Africa this year in order to benefit its client Oakbay Investments, controlled by the controversial and influential Gupta family in South Africa, which had strong ties to President Zuma’s government.
The fallout from the Bell Pottinger scandal continues to deepen. Now, the entire management team of the auditing company KPMG has resigned.
They were the auditors for most of the Gupta-owned companies in South Africa. A survey found that their work fell well short of “professional auditing standards”. What a statement to make of an auditing company, which should by nature display the highest standards of integrity. It would appear that the Guptas had their auditors in their pockets, as well as Zuma. Slowly but surely it is all coming out in the wash.
Alf Haupt
