NI Racism?

by Rishi Fri May 03, 2013 3:31 pm

The row surrounding a lavish Indian wedding in South
Africa today got mired in another controversy after a labour union
alleged “racism at its worst” against some guests attending the event.

The Congress of South African Trade unions (Cosatu) is “informed that
the family does not want to be served by the African staff members who
are employed in the resort”, the union said in a statement on Friday.
The
wealthy and politically connected Gupta family triggered a storm of
fury when a plane carrying wedding guests from Indian landed at the
Waterkoof Air Force Base, allegedly bypassing customs procedures.
“The
guests demand that their services must be rendered by white personnel,
starting from the cleaning of their rooms, the cooking and the drivers
of the shuttles they use,” it alleged in the statement.
“Cosatu
has been informed that the family is under police protection while they
are at the resort and all their trips have police escorts using state
vehicles.”
“For us as Cosatu this is racism at its
worst and this cannot be allowed to continue to take place in a country
where racism is a crime. At Sun City our members have been facing racial
attitudes from some of the service providers such as the 24/7 security
company with which we have an outstanding case, as we have with Sun
City,” the union said, quoted by the Independent Online.
Gupta
wedding spokesman Haranath Ghosh, however, denied the family was using
police escorts during the four-day wedding extravaganza.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/south-africas-gupta-family-guests-in-race-row/article4680645.ece

by Seva Lamberdar Fri May 03, 2013 4:17 pm

This family of Guptas in South Africa involves citizens of South Africa for several generations. Therefore the news related to Gupta family has nothing to do with NI racism. Considering also that there were many blacks, including country's president Mr. Zuma and his family, invited to the wedding, there is hardly any evidence of racism on the part of this family. This story that the hosts (Gupta family members) did not want to be served by black workers / caterers etc. in the wedding may not be true at all.

Perhaps this news is just a transplant by some persons to taint the family's reputation in the light of recent controversy involving Gupta's landing their plane at a military airport. It seems most of the outsiders are not taking those charges against the Guptas (landing the private plane at military airport) seriously, so now there may be this late effort to spread the rumor of racism (refusing black help) against them.

by Idéfix Fri May 03, 2013 4:44 pm

Seva Lamberdar wrote:This story that the hosts (Gupta family members) did not want to be served by black workers / caterers etc. in the wedding may not be true at all.

Sevaji, I am disappointed with your incomplete defense of the Guptajis. Why do you stop at saying the story of not wanting black waiters is not true? You should also say that the story of them landing the plane at a military airport "may not be true at all," that the story that they were there for a wedding "may not be true at all," and that the story that they were in South Africa "may not be true at all."

by Idéfix Fri May 03, 2013 5:09 pm

Seva Lamberdar wrote:This family of Guptas in South Africa involves citizens of South Africa for several generations. Therefore the news related to Gupta family has nothing to do with NI racism.

If you say so, it must be true.

From the wedding website: http://www.vegawedsaakash.com/About%20the%20couple.html

The section "About Couples" has this to say about the bride:

Date of Birth : 17/10/1989
Place of Birth: New Delhi
Education : Schooling Mussorie International School, Mussorie, India & American International School of Johannesburg (AISJ), South Africa

And this about the groom:
Date of Birth :01/09/ 1988
Place of Birth: Bahadurgarh
Education : Post Graduation – Mast. In International Business From University of West London,
Graduation – Bach. In Commerce from Delhi University
Schooling – Rukmani Devi Public School, Delhi

About the bride's family:
Business: 1) Goyal Cal Carbonates LTD Saharanpur, India (Manufacturers of Chemicals)

About the groom's family business:
Office Address : North Avenue Road, West Punjabi Bagh, Delhi- 26

by Seva Lamberdar Fri May 03, 2013 5:20 pm

Idéfix wrote: Sevaji, I am disappointed with your incomplete defense of the Guptajis. Why do you stop at saying the story of not wanting black waiters is not true? You should also say that the story of them landing the plane at a military airport "may not be true at all," that the story that they were there for a wedding "may not be true at all," and that the story that they were in South Africa "may not be true at all."

I am not defending this Gupta family from South Africa. I had never heard about them until a few days ago when the news about their landing the aircraft at a military airport broke out. Considering they are among the richest people in South Africa, if they really wanted to avoid the black help and being served by black waiters during the wedding, they could have easily planned the wedding in India or Europe instead of having it in South Africa and give rise to so much controvery (especially the accusations of racism). According to the news, president Zuma's two sons were directors on the Board in some of their industries. I think this family, in addition to being extremely rich, is probably educated enough and smart enough to not get into a public contoversy like that (asking not to be served by black waiters).

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