LETTER: Bain should face a global ban

Bain SA managing partner Stephen York’s appeal for constructive dialogue is not acceptable. (“Besieged Bain SA apologises again amid new furore over state capture”, August 11). He says only two junior South Africans were involved, but who sent in these “juniors” and entrusted them with such high-level decision-making to destroy the SA Revenue Service (Sars) by neutralising effective, skilled employees?

Those responsible for the decisions made by Bain should come back to SA and state what they did. Where is former Bain managing partner Vittorio Massone? Most likely on a luxury yacht in the Mediterranean laughing all the way to the bank.  Where are all the other senior people involved?

York has done nothing to make up for the devastation Bain has caused this country. What about the skilled people who lost their jobs, what happened to them and their families? What about the millions of South Africans who have had hospitals, schools and a better life stolen from them? Paying back the money is a drop in the ocean relative to the destruction Bain caused. 

What about all the criminal activity that flourished because Sars was disabled? Did Bain really think it was improving a first-class organisation? It must have known that what it was doing was unethical, and now York wants everyone just to move on and forget what Bain did.  

Bain should be barred from all government work worldwide. If private companies want to use its services that is fine as it will not be stealing from taxpayers. This episode has shown that Bain is only after the money — there are no ethics, no scruples, no morals, no principles, just money and greed. This applies to all the professional service companies that committed similar crimes. 

Debbi Friedman
Via email

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