24 Sep 2020 Will aQuellé survive massive criminal scandal?
A business boycott has gathered momentum, with major retailers cutting orders and removing product from shelves, as scandal swirls around the KwaSizabantu Mission near Greytown, KZN, owner of aQuellé bottled water.
The huge foodbev operation is accused of being a cult, involved in abuse and money laundering, with business fallout threatening hundreds of jobs and risking damage to the regional economy.
Piling on the pressure was the Human Rights Commission, which called for its own investigation, in addition to the police investigation confirmed by Police Minister Bheki Cele.
Woolworths was first to announce that it was severing ties, and Spar group merchandise executive Mike Prentice confirmed to Business Insider
that the group had suspended orders from Ekhamanzi Springs, which owns the water brand aQuellé, as well as for fruit and vegetables from Emseni Farming.
In KZN, some Spar franchises also sell Bonlé, a yoghurt brand which is associated with KwaSizabantu.
aQuellé is now fighting for survival and blasted the allegations as “vicious”.
aQuellé, which supports several Pietermaritzburg events, including the Midmar Mile swimming event which brings millions of rands into the Midlands annually, found itself in the firing line after a News24 investigation alleged human rights abuses, including rape and sexual molestation at the mission.
Spar and Woolworths turned their back on aQuellé despite the Ekhamanzi Springs bottling company sending a letter to all its customers and partners in defence of the mission.
KwaSizabantu, which is also being accused of laundering more than R100 million, was founded by evangelist Erlo Stegen in 1970.
In a series of News24 reports — supported by accounts from victims — information surfaced that some church members suffered physical, sexual and psychological abuse. The mission also faces accusations of fraud.
A number supermarkets, both nationally and in Pietermaritzburg, also procure vegetables and fruit from the mission’s agricultural business.
According to information obtained from the website of the mission and its businesses, Ekhamanzi Springs and Emseni Farming employ more than 500 people. The businesses have funded charity organisations stretching from the Drakensberg to eThekwini….
News24.com: Read the full story here
Additional reading:
Want to stop a cult? Then don’t buy aQuellé bottled water
On Saturday, News24 published the result of a seven-month investigation into allegations of gross human rights violations and abuse at KwaSizabantu Mission. You can make a difference by not buying their unholy water, writes Adriaan Basson.
aQuellé to appoint multidisciplinary panel to investigate ‘vicious’ media allegations
In a letter addressed to its customers, aQuellé says it will appoint a panel consisting of legal, political, business and grassroots level individuals to investigate allegations published in a News24 exposé.
The letter labels the reportage “sensational, vicious and [of a] factually inaccurate nature”.
News24 published the result of a seven-month long investigation into allegations of gross human rights abuses and financial crimes at the mission, which led to retailers looking for answers from the water bottling company.