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As it happened: SA needs clear policy on Israel trade

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26 Nov 2014

Earlier today, News24 interviewed protestors outside the Woolworths AGM in Cape Town.

26 Nov 2014

News24 Live interviewed Woolworths head of corporate communications Susie Squire about the AGM today and the protests from BDS SA.

26 Nov 2014

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News24 comments are a powerful space for debate (and at times can be quite harsh). The thumbs up (and down in some cases) shows clearly where the News24 readers' support lies:<br />

26 Nov 2014

Abbas's visit comes days after UN chief Ban Ki-moon urged Israel and the Palestinians to "step back from the brink" and return to peace talks amid European moves toward recognising Palestine.

His comments reflected international alarm over the spate of violent attacks in east Jerusalem and the deadlock over peace talks that are fuelling fear of another flareup after the war in Gaza earlier this year.

With no political solution in sight, governments and parliaments in Europe are moving towards Palestinian recognition, with France's National Assembly set to vote on a non-binding resolution on December 2.

26 Nov 2014

"People of South Africa and Palestine have a strong bond built in the trenches of our two struggles, we want to build even stronger relations and cooperation based on that historical relationship," said Zuma.

26 Nov 2014

AFP Reports that the ANC is a firm supporter of the Palestinian cause, with politicians regularly comparing Israel to the former racist apartheid state in South Africa. When Nelson Mandela was elected first democratic president in 1994, he pledged to support Palestine, saying: "South Africa's freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians."

26 Nov 2014

Abbas said the Palestinians sought to benefit from South Africa's "successful experiences" in building an independent state. "We are the last nation in the world that is still living under occupation," he said.

26 Nov 2014

South Africa was ready to assist with negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians and had appointed two special envoys for the task, Zuma added.

26 Nov 2014

AFP REPORTS:

"The reality is that the overwhelming majority in the world agrees with the position of two states living side by side in peace, but we have a problem of a country that is defying all of that," said Zuma.

"We reiterate our call for the total cessation of all settlement activities," Zuma told a joint news conference with Abbas.

Criticising the way the United Nations works, he added: "I don't think the system should allow that one country can defy the world."

26 Nov 2014

Israel is defying the world by "undermining" prospects for a two state solution through its settlements policy, South African President Jacob Zuma said Wednesday as he welcomed Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas on a state visit, according to AFP.

26 Nov 2014

Dayan Haemet wrote on the BDS SA post: "Sponsoring free train rides, handing out free t-shirts, sandwiches, some people I hear have said they have been promised money to take off work today to come and protest. They've rented a crowd! Meanwhile, they don't give a damn what those people are going to eat tonight and which children in their own country are being raped and murdered right now. Its only useful to these evil people when they can talk negatively about Israel - not what is happening in their own backyards."

26 Nov 2014

Woolworths spokesperson Paula Disberry, group director of retail operations, told Fin24 on Tuesday: “Our sales continue to show healthy year on year growth. We have no idea how they arrive at a figure of R7.8m a month.”

26 Nov 2014

Susie Squire, head of communications, said she has no idea where BDS SA or the Wits researcher got those figures as she has never seen them before.

26 Nov 2014

Wits University researcher  Ciara Gatonby claimed in a research paper on Monday that Woolworths Holdings Limited had lost over R30m (close to $3m) since the start of the #BoycottWoolworths campaign - almost R8m a month. Gatonby stressed that: "the actual impact could be in the hundreds of millions".

26 Nov 2014

Squire said that BDS SA had promised 500 protestors outside Woolworths and 50 shareholders inside, but said it seemed more like 50 protestors outside and 10 shareholders inside.

26 Nov 2014

The SA government imposed new rules last year which require goods imported from occupied Palestinian territories to display special labels.
FULL ARTICLE

26 Nov 2014

Squire says David Jones are aware that Mr Desai and BDS could be heading over to start a similar campaign at their Australian stores.

26 Nov 2014

Squire: I have corresponded at length with me (Muhammed) Desai (of BDS SA). I have made it very clear that we don't source from occupied territory of Palestine.

26 Nov 2014

Bloomberg reports demonstrators bought Woolworths shares ahead of the meeting to put pressure on management.


FULL STORY

26 Nov 2014

Squire: SA government said we can trade with Israel. We are being targeted because of what we stand for and because we are high profile. What we won't have is them threatening our customers and staff. Freedom of expression is great but not when it puts these people in danger.

26 Nov 2014

Squire: It's about the principle of being apolitical.

26 Nov 2014

Squire: Our first preference is always to trade locally.

26 Nov 2014

Squire: Out of 1000s of products we have only three products from Israel. We don't have any deep relationship with Israel. It is quite wrong to draw political conclusions from this. We are not in the business of foreign affairs.

26 Nov 2014

Squire: Chairperson Simon Susman answered a lot of questions to do with Israel and gave the shareholders a lot of chances to ask questions.

26 Nov 2014

Squire: The important thing about our AGM was that it covered everything to do with our business over the year.

<p>Squire: The important thing about our AGM was that it
covered everything to do with our business over the year. 

</p><p></p>

26 Nov 2014

Fin24's interview with Susie Squire, head of communications at Woolworths is about to start.
 Fin24's interview with Susie Squire, head of communications at
Woolworths is about to start.

26 Nov 2014

Moeng: In the end, and while waiting for clear political leadership on the matter, Woolworths and other South African businesses must decide whether or not importing goods from Israel is worth the recurring nuisance that it causes; that is if they're incapable /unwilling to make decisions from a clear ethical stance.  

26 Nov 2014

Moeng: I believe that Woolworths decided to go to the courts only as a last resort, following numerous incidents of alleged harassment of customers and staff. This step, though not always the best approach to dealing with such matters, is understandable. 

26 Nov 2014

Moeng: It's not the first time that the Israeli product issue is kicked to Woolworths' door and, judging by past experience, it will happen again if we, as a country, do not make a collective decision - once and for all - about what we want to do with Israel. 

26 Nov 2014

Moeng: This silence from the department of International Relations and Cooperation is a matter of concern. It seems like someone decided  to kick the stinking can to Woolworths' door and expected the retailer to deal with it on behalf of the whole world. It is cowardice and will not, approached this way, achieve the desired results of seeing Israel improve on its human rights record and practices. Woolworths alone cannot achieve this.

26 Nov 2014

Moeng: This matter should not be  Woolworths' problem alone. South Africa, led by its conspicuously quiet government, should decide on a clear policy on trading with Israel and communicate it widely.  Someone needs to lead from the front!

26 Nov 2014

Reputation management expert Solly Moeng on the Woolworths vs BDS matter: While the concerns of pro-Palestinian human rights activists have to be taken seriously by everyone, I do think that there is something wrong in the approach.    Woolworths is not the only company doing business with Israel and, given the value of its imports, it would not make a big dent on Israel's economy even if it were to stop importing the few products that it buys from there.

26 Nov 2014

Fin24 user Johan Venter on #boycottwoolworths: That’s when the rainbow nation becomes too rainbow...

26 Nov 2014

News24 Live and Fin24 are at Woolworths HQ to interview Woolworths about the AGM and the protesters who disrupted proceedings.

26 Nov 2014

Protesters have left the scene and calm has once again returned the Woolworths HQ. 

Pic: Matthew le Cordeur

<p>Protesters have left the scene and calm has once again
returned the Woolworths HQ.&nbsp;</p><p>Pic: Matthew le Cordeur</p>

26 Nov 2014

Fin24's Matthew le Cordeur captured this video earlier today.

26 Nov 2014

“The Woolworths brand is increasingly questioned,” Marthie Momberg said in her statement. “The real issue is not the number of Israeli products on the shelves of Woolworths, but rather the existence of contracts between Woolworths and Israeli businesses.
FULL STORY

26 Nov 2014

Marthie Momberg said she was compelled to reveal her concerns about the image and the ethics of the company in which she invested a considerable amount of her savings.

26 Nov 2014

Woolworths governance report

26 Nov 2014

Woolworths Ethics and integrity: "We continue to promote the Tip-offs Anonymous line run by Deloitte and the rewards for information, which leads to successful preventions of fraud and shrinkage. Through our induction process, and awareness creation around our policies, we specifically cover training around ethics, bribery and anti-corruption."

26 Nov 2014

Woolworths Ethics and integrity: Our ethics programme is supported by corporate policies covering gifts, insider trading and conflict of interest. As a company we have a zero tolerance policy towards fraud, theft, corruption or any similar illegal behaviour. We will take disciplinary action against any employee who is involved in, or assists with, committing fraud, theft and corruption. In terms of the company’s disciplinary code, involvement in these acts is a dismissible offence.

26 Nov 2014

Woolworths Ethics and integrity:  “Sustainability” is one of our seven Woolworths values, entrenching its importance in the cultural fabric of the organisation, and joining “quality and style, value, service, innovation, integrity and energy” as the compass for decision making at Woolworths.

26 Nov 2014

Woolworths Ethics and integrity: "Our internal 'Let’s Ask' survey has shown that 86% of our employees feel positive about Woolworths as an ethical company over the last year. In addition, values and behaviour continue to form a material part of each employee’s performance appraisal process."

26 Nov 2014

Woolworths Ethics and integrity: "A strong value system has always been at the core of the WHL Group. As a Group, we have adopted the set of values as formulated by Woolworths (below). Country Road has its own values, which are well-aligned to our Group belief and behaviours."
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