Calls for Cell C CEO to go after ‘b*tch switch’ blunder

Cell C chief executive Jose Dos Santos

Cell C chief executive Jose Dos Santos

Published Apr 20, 2016

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Johannesburg - Twitter users are calling for Cell C chief executive Jose Dos Santos to resign after his remarks that women in the office had a good effect on men, and had a “b*tch switch”.

Speaking on CliffCentral’s Leadership Platform on Monday, Dos Santos said: “I’m hoping that one day when I step down from Cell C, a woman will be the CEO of the company ... If I can use the term on your radio station, you know women do have a b*tch switch, and boy if you see two women fighting it is worse than two men.”

Dos Santos said at Cell C, they had in their staff “good-looking women, we have clever women, we have smart women, and that has created a different environment. I think we have to empower the female individuals. Today a lot of women are independent”.

He said this had an effect on male staff. And because Cell C sponsors the Miss South Africa pageant, they offer all Miss South Africa finalists an internship for a year at the company.

“Can you imagine you got 12 gorgeous women and you say four or five of them walk into your company - do you know what it does to the atmosphere in that company? The men dress better, they shave every morning,” he said.

By Tuesday afternoon he was trending and irate tweeters wanted his head to roll.

@Bmasilela said: “I think Cell C CEO must resign nje to save the brand.”

Political puppet Chester Missing tweeted: “Cell C CEO says women have a b*tch switch’, which is ironic, because clearly his douchebag button is broken and stuck on maximum strength.”

Other tweets include:

 

Dear @CellC- Your CEO insulted women! He needs to apologize unreservedly instead of trying to explain the context. pic.twitter.com/oCeW7Ns0pK

— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) April 19, 2016

 

 

Dear Cell C. I may not be a beauty queen but I am less moronic than the current encumbent. Herewith find my application for post of CEO.

— Bianca Capazorio (@wordnerd212) April 19, 2016

 

Dos Santos said on Tuesday night: “As a CEO with a strong track record in the empowerment of female employees, I am saddened that my stance has been taken out of context. The comment I made, when asked about woman empowerment, was part of a broader interview about leadership. I regret my choice of words which I realise were offensive.”

He said he worked hard to empower women at Cell C.

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The Star

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