The perils of lobbying in Africa
Working for African governments is lucrative, but increasingly risky, for Western PR firms
THE first rule for public-relations firms is not to become the story. In South Africa Bell Pottinger, a British firm, has done just that. In May, e-mails between one of the firm’s employees and Duduzane Zuma, a son of President Jacob Zuma, were leaked to South African newspapers. Bell Pottinger had been hired by a company owned by the Gupta family, a trio of Indian businessmen brothers who are chummy with the president, to bolster their image.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “For whom Bell Pottinger toils”
From the July 29th 2017 edition
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