SOUTH Africa's petroleum giant Sasol, with tentacles in the US, has reportedly engaged the services of consultant pariah Bain as pressure mounts in the UK and the US for its operating licence to be suspended.
This while action recommended in the Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo commission of inquiry wags a finger at the global entity for its part in aiding state capture in South Africa.
British legislator Lord Peter Hain said on Friday the lobby against Bain has been carried to the US legislator as favourable responses were received last week from Number 10 Downing Street for the consultancy firm to be thoroughly investigated for its role in state capture.
“In the meantime, please look into the fact that Sasol has hired Bain in SA. With all that we know, how is that even possible?” whistleblower Athol Williams told Business Report on Friday.
Bain is now gunning for Williams, currently in refuge in the UK and on Friday sent him a strongly worded letter warning him against further exposes on its operations.
“If a company, a global one, behaves like this in one country, it can do it everywhere. Maybe it's going to behave like this across the world. That's why I think President (Joe) Biden and the British Prime Minister ought to suspend its licence to operate until these matters are progressed within South Africa and these matters are brought to justice,” Lord Hain said on Friday.
Lord Hain has written to the US embassy in London, through its parliamentary liaison, supplying information on the findings of the Zondo Commission and the reactions of the UK government. He asked explicitly that all US government contracts with Bain & Co are suspended until at least the impending legal proceedings in South Africa against it are completed.
“The minister replying to my speech said they were taking it very seriously and they paid tribute to the work I have been doing. We have to see what these assurances mean, but it seems to me things have come to such a head after the Zondo Commission, absolute devastating indictments against Bain, which called its activities unlawful in Sars (SA Revenue Service) and said it ought to be prosecuted.
“If a company like this, which is head-quartered in New York and has big offices in London, works for governments right across the world, if it behaves like this in one country, maybe it is going to behave like this across the world, that is why President Biden and Johnson should suspend its licences,” Hain said.
In its missive on Friday to Williams, Bain said he had crossed the line in tagging and sharing photographs of its South African employees, suggesting that they be held personally accountable for Bain's mistakes from 2015. “As you well know, none of the individuals you have identified were involved in the work at Sars. You have been vocal about the concerns for your own personal safety and yet in targeting these individuals on social media (and in encouraging others to do the same) you are directly endangering their personal safety. We have reported these posts as inappropriate to LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Please do the right and ethical thing and remove these posts,” Russ Hagey, chief leadership officer told Williams.
Sasol was not available for comment on Friday on its justification for engagements with Bain.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE