Quinton Mtyala
THERE was an uproar at the Woolworths AGM as Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) protesters used their status as shareholders to question the company’s continued trade relations with Israel.
BDS activists purchased 50 shares and also acted as proxies for several smaller shareholders to participate in the meeting. While they were clearly in the minority, they were the most vociferous in protesting against Woolworths’ trade in agricultural goods with Israel.
There was a heavy security presence at the Longmarket Street headquarters, with strict access control. A few protesters held placards outside. Protesters want Woolworths to stop sourcing produce such as tomatoes from Israel, stating that the country’s treatment of Palestinians violates human rights and that there is no way of ensuring the imported goods do not originate from the occupied territories.
Woolworths group chief executive Ian Moir said trade with Israel was negligible and represented “one-10th of 1 percent” of the company’s turnover. “The BDS campaign has had no material effect on our performance during the course of the year. If you have a look at our financial results, we were able to trade ahead of the market,” said Moir.
In the year ending in June, Woolworths reported operating profits of R5.6 billion, up 42 percent from the previous year’s R3.9bn, with overall sales having increased 54.9 percent to R62bn.
With the group’s trade with Israel amounting to about R12 million, BDS activists want the company to either source their produce locally or from other countries, saying its shareholders would suffer from “reputational harm”.
Mimicking the actions of the EFF in the National Assembly, several BDS activists stood up as Woolworths chairperson Simon Sussman went through the agenda, interrupting him “on a point of order”.
BDS activist Braam Hanekom accused Moir of lying for stating that protests against the retailer had no impact on its business.
Moir answered Hanekom, saying Woolworths had taken the lead from the South African government, which continued to trade, and have relations, with Israel.
He said Woolworths audited several of its suppliers to ensure goods were not procured from the Palestinian occupied territories and that relations with these producers had gone “a long way”.
As the meeting progressed, and with several interruptions from the floor, Sussman looked annoyed as he went through the programme, with one BDS activist exclaiming: “The Chairman Must Fall!!”
Woolworths’ South African chief executive, Zyda Rylands, said the company was not a political party and she had not been silenced by her bosses.
“This is a value-based business, we are proudly South African… As a leader of the Woolworths South African business, I can say that we have every intention of continuing to do that,” said Rylands.
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