![]() ![]() Bell Pottinger was widely accused in South Africa of inciting racial tension to divert criticism of the family. Last week Bell Pottinger, the British public relations adviser, apologised for work it had done for a company owned by the Guptas, saying its management had been misled over “inappropriate and offensive” social-media campaigning linked to the contract. The consultancy said it had “carried out work with Trillian at Eskom, but did not have a formal subcontract with them” and did not hire Trillian as a local supplier.īoth the Guptas and Mr Zuma have denied the accusations of corruption, which have been fuelled by recent email leaks that exposed an alleged complex web of influence from the Guptas to the heart of the ANC. The consultancy said that managers in its South African office had been “surprised to learn” of Mr Sagar’s letter to Eskom, which was revealed in an investigation into Trillian’s alleged involvement in state capture. ![]() McKinsey acted after evidence emerged that Mr Sagar wrote to Eskom, South Africa’s state-owned power monopoly, last year stating that the firm had subcontracted certain services to Trillian. The long-running Gupta scandal has cast a shadow over the Zuma presidency and fuelled tensions within the ruling African National Congress, which will choose Mr Zuma’s successor in December. The move demonstrates how international companies have become entangled in the fallout from allegations that the Guptas used their friendship with President Jacob Zuma to obtain lucrative state contracts and sway public appointments - referred to locally as state capture - to bolster their mining-to-media business empire. The firm said that Vikas Sagar, a director in its South African office, would take a leave of absence to allow an internal investigation to proceed after he “inaccurately characterised” Mckinsey’s ties with Trillian Capital, a company owned by Salim Essa, a close business associate of the Guptas. McKinsey has been drawn into the scandal around South Africa’s powerful Gupta business family after revealing that a partner who allegedly misrepresented the consultancy in a deal with a Gupta-linked investment company would temporarily stand down. McKinsey drawn into South Africa’s Gupta business scandal ![]()
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