{"id":99465,"date":"2025-07-30T15:04:21","date_gmt":"2025-07-30T13:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=99465"},"modified":"2025-07-30T15:04:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-30T13:04:21","slug":"bain-cos-retreat-accountability-or-self-preservation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/bain-cos-retreat-accountability-or-self-preservation\/","title":{"rendered":"Bain & Co\u2019s Retreat: Accountability or Self-Preservation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a>
\n3-minute read | 30 July 2025 | 13:40 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

\ud83d\udcf8 Bain’s Quiet Exit? | “Bain & Co. shutters consultancy in SA but leaves backdoor open through service hub.”<\/p><\/div>\n

After years of pressure from civil society, Bain & Company has announced the closure of its consultancy operations in South Africa, a move met with cautious relief and lingering scepticism.<\/p>\n

The decision follows Bain\u2019s controversial role during the state capture era, most notably its involvement in dismantling the South African Revenue Services (SARS). According to Public Interest SA, the consultancy operated with “apparent impunity,” continuing its business post-Zondo Commission revelations without real consequence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey wrecked SARS and walked away with profits,\u201d noted Public Interest SA\u2019s Tebogo Khaas in an interview with Radio Islam<\/em><\/a>. \u201cTheir so-called exit is not a gesture of remorse, it\u2019s a strategic retreat.\u201d<\/p>\n

The move has sparked debate about the sincerity behind Bain\u2019s withdrawal. \u201cIs it motivated by conscience or reputational fatigue?\u201d Khaas asked. Civil society organisations have long called for reparations and a public apology, but Khaas points out that Bain responded with silence once public pressure subsided.<\/p>\n

While Bain\u2019s withdrawal is notable, its decision to maintain a \u201cservice hub\u201d in South Africa raises alarm. \u201cThey obviously think we are all stupid,\u201d Khaas said bluntly. \u201cThey want to keep exploiting South Africa\u2019s world-class telecom and financial infrastructure as a launchpad for operations across the continent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Indeed, South Africa remains a key node for consulting firms, boasting over 600 U.S. companies and a sophisticated regulatory landscape that makes it ideal for regional influence. Public Interest SA warns that Bain may use this residual presence to quietly re-enter African markets under the radar.<\/p>\n

This situation echoes broader concerns over the lack of accountability for corporates implicated in state capture. \u201cWhy is it that Jacob Zuma and the Guptas face scrutiny, but Bain, KPMG, and McKinsey continue business as usual?\u201d Khaas challenged. \u201cJustice must be applied to corporates too.\u201d<\/p>\n

While some firms have issued public apologies and repaid limited sums, many like McKinsey and KPMG have failed to follow through on promises for genuine reform. \u201cThey\u2019ve gone quiet, while companies still queue up to hire them,\u201d Khaas concluded.<\/p>\n

Public Interest SA\u2019s message is clear: corporate complicity during state capture cannot be swept under the rug. Bain\u2019s retreat may be a start, but without reparations and full accountability, it\u2019s far from closure.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on The Daily Round-Up<\/em><\/a> with Moulana Junaid Kharsany and Tebogho Khaas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read | 30 July 2025 | 13:40 CAT After years of pressure from civil society, Bain & Company has announced the closure of its consultancy operations in South Africa, a move met with cautious relief and lingering scepticism. The decision follows Bain\u2019s controversial role during the state capture era, most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":99466,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Bain-and-Company.jpg?fit=568%2C292&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-pSh","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-24 01:30:49","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99465\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99466"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}