#BellPottinger apology not enough, says DA

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Cape Town - The DA has welcomed Bell Pottinger's apology and the dismissal of key employees and partners who were involved in the PR company's campaign in South Africa on behalf of the Gupta family and their company Oakbay Capital. President Jacob Zuma's son Duduzane Zuma, in his capacity as an employee of the politically connected Gupta family, procured the services of Bell Pottinger in what seemed to have been an attempt to "divide and conquer the South African public by exploiting racial tensions" in a bid to keep Jacob Zuma and the African National Congress in power, DA spokeswoman Phumzile van Damme said earlier this week. The DA reported the PR company to two professional boards after Gupta email leaks revealed Bell Pottinger's involvement in the saga. However, in a statement released on Thursday night, the opposition party says that the apology is not enough. "This apology comes at the back of continued pressure from the DA by reporting the company to UK-based regulatory bodies for their role in initiating campaigns to stir racial tensions in South Africa," the DA says in the statement.

"If this apology was to be taken seriously, the company would fully disclose all the dealings with the Gupta family and President Jacob Zuma.

"More pertinently, they would commit to using all profits obtained from Gupta business deals to investing in building schools or any developmental non-government organisations in South Africa.

"Until then, their apology is nothing but a PR-stunt brought on by the public pressure applied by the DA and the South African public."

The DA says it is still pursuing the matter with the UK-based Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA).

On Thursday the PR firm in a statement apologised to South Africans affected and said they had been misled.

"There has been a social media campaign that highlights the issue of economic emancipation in a way that we, having seen it now, consider to be inappropriate and offensive. At various points throughout the tenure of the Oakbay account, senior management have been misled about what has been done.

"For it to be done in South Africa, a country which has become an international beacon of hope for its progress towards racial reconciliation, is a matter of profound regret and in no way reflects the values of Bell Pottinger."