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- In a letter to his clients, aQuellé says it will appoint a panel made up of people at the legal, political, business and grassroots level to investigate allegations published in a News24 exhibit.
- The letter, which was sent on Monday, labels the story “sensational, vicious and [of a] inaccurate nature in fact “.
- News24 published the result of a seven-month investigation into allegations of serious human rights abuses and financial crimes at the mission, prompting retailers to seek answers from the water bottling company.
aQuellé has appointed an external panel to investigate allegations published in a News24 exhibit over the weekend detailing allegations of serious human rights abuses and financial crimes at Mission KwaSizabantu (KSB), according to a letter sent to its retail clients on Monday.
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The letter, seen by News24, includes the names of the directors of aQuellé, Erlo Stegen and Lidia Dube, who are also implicated in the allegations.
aQuellé called the News24 exposure “sensational, vicious and [of a] inaccurate nature in fact “.
“This is not the first time false stories about the mission have been spread. The mission has always believed that going to court is not the way of choice to stop the spread of false stories that undo good work.
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“However, given the severity of this attack, we have appointed an external committee consisting of individuals at the legal, political, business and grassroots level to investigate the allegations and publish their findings,” the letter says.
News24 published the result of a seven-month investigation into allegations of rape and abuse at the mission over the weekend, as well as allegations of financial crimes benefiting mission leaders, which are currently being investigated by the Hawks. .
The allegations prompted retailers to demand responses to the mission.
aQuellé, however, defended the KwaSizabantu Mission as an “evangelical organization with good relations and total openness to other churches and organizations.”
Worship
“The mission does not teach any new doctrine and does not believe that it has exclusive ownership of the truth.”
Furthermore, he denied that KSB was a ‘cult’, saying that while a cult aimed to benefit from an individual or group of people, the mission was aimed at “uplifting society.”
“aQuellé and Emseni Farming are income generating companies started by KwaSizabantu Mission to sustain the good work started more than 50 years ago.
“The funds generated directly support mission activities and have been used to help countless people throughout our country with food, aQuellé products, sponsorships and donations to charities.
“The mission is a totally different place than the one described by these vindictive people in the media exposure.”
The mission had also hosted many people for free, without charging for rent, electricity or water, and employed more than 1,300 people from the community, the letter says.
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It has also run a drug and alcohol abuse program for more than 10 years, offering assistance, food and lodging to more than 18,500 addicts over the years.
“The mission supports a community radio station that has been in operation for 25 years and continues to do good and uplift the rural community of KZN. It houses a school that started more than 30 years ago, a teacher education school and supports them with funds and scholarships, “the letter read.
In addition, he invited his clients to visit the mission to “prove for himself that the allegations against the mission are unfounded.”
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article and need someone to speak to, please contact the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) at one of these numbers:
• To speak with a counselor between 8 a.m. M. And 8 p.m. M. From Monday to Saturday, call 011 234 4837
• For a suicidal emergency, call 0800 567 567
• For the 24-hour helpline, call 0800 456 789.
