PRESS STATEMENT: Court orders that Woolworths must meet with BDS South Africa

Today the South Gauteng High Court provided a court order that Woolworths and BDS South Africa "shall meet face to face on or before the 10th of December 2014 in an attempt to settle the entire matter”. This is seen as a positive develpopment as to date, the management of Woolworths refused to meet with BDS South Africa, the NC4P and other organisations supporting the #BoycottWoolworths campaign.

In good faith BDS South Africa has undertaken to tone down on certain in-store protest actions that form part of the #BoycottWoolworths campaign. However, BDS South Africa maintains that the larger #BoycottWoolworths campaign and the plans to intensify the campaign into the festive season will continue.

Kwara Kekana welcomed the court order providing a face to face meeting saying: “Woolworths arrogantly insisted for the last four months that they "cannot see what a meeting would achieve”, this court order affirms BDS South Africa’s stance and we looking forward to meeting with the management of Woolworths to make our case for why Woolworths should terminate its trade relations with Israel."

Several BDS South Africa activists have bought shares in the company and intend to make the upcoming AGM (taking place tomorrow Wednesday 26 November in Cape Town) the next site of the campaign. The "shareholder activists" intend to raise pertinent issues, including why Woolworths is steadfast in maintaining a R12 million a year trade relationship with Israel at the expense of losing almost R8 million a month according to a recent #BoycottWoolworths impact report.

 

 

BOYCOTT, DIVESTMENT AND SANCTIONS AGAINST ISRAEL in SOUTH AFRICA (BDS SOUTH AFRICA)
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