FNB saga: Afrikaners get blame

Johannesburg - In a report published in Business Times, Standard Bank director and Business Leadership SA board member Saki Macozoma was quoted as saying the rift caused by the FNB's anti-crime advertising campaign, which was aborted, was not one of "black and white; it will probably be the rest versus the Afrikaans-speaking community. Look at the people who have come behind FNB. They're all Afrikaans."

Fin24's sister publication Finweek wanted to know more.

Do you really think it's only Afrikaans-speaking people who are outspoken about crime? On what do you base that?

I don't believe that only Afrikaners (as opposed to Afrikaans-speaking people) are the only ones who speak against crime. They aren't the only victims or the worse victims. Those who purport to speak on their behalf have chosen to use crime as propaganda against the President, the ANC, the government, transformation of South African society and black people in general.

I base that on what I read in the Afrikaans media and the campaigns that are waged in that community. I think that it's unfortunate.

Who in your mind represents the Afrikaans community?

It's not a question of who in my mind represents Afrikaners. It's a question of what comes out of the mouths, publications and other material of those who purport to speak on behalf of Afrikaners. The fact of the matter is that there are significant personalities and most of the media that exhibit that tendency.

Don't you think the fact that you came out in support of President Thabo Mbeki against the FNB campaign and that you're a member of the Standard Bank board could be seen as an attack on a competitor?

No, I don't think that the fact that I opposed what I believe is a counter-productive propaganda exercise has got anything to do with competition between Standard Bank and FNB. My position at Standard Bank doesn't disenfranchise me, just as much as the position of Paul Harris at FNB doesn't disenfranchise him.

I think it's time that all of us accept that in a democratic system those who have views and express them will generate a reaction, which may or may not agree with them. In any case, I don't believe that FNB management holds the view you espouse.

How should business engage with the government on issues like crime?

Business must work with the government to assist it in dealing with crime. It shouldn't adopt a supercilious and omniscient attitude that assumes that the government is populated by callous fools who need noise to wake them up from their slumber.

Business has been working with the government for 10 years on various projects, including crime. Business has made a difference and it should continue making that difference.