Nando's seeks divine intervention

Anglican Archbishop Njongonkulu Ndungane with Dr Molefe Tsele, General Secretary of the SACC and Dr Ben du Toit, senior representative of the Nederduitse Gereformeerde Kerk, on Monday morning hosted a meeting with Nando's top management at the Archbishop's office in Bishopscourt, Cape Town to discuss the impact of the recent sms and email campaign against the company.

The religious representatives present at the meeting said they were satisfied that Nando's has no connection whatsoever to the alleged controversial advertisement that has raised the ire of Christians.

"We accept Nando's bona fides in this matter and are united with them in our concern about the misuse of these very powerful technological communication tools," said Archbishop Ndungane.

"It's all about the truth and bearing false witness and it is part of our moral responsibility as Christians to establish the truth of information we receive before thoughtlessly passing it on," said Dr du Toit in turn.

Dr Molefe Tsele added that the challenge to corporate South Africa would be to educate people in the responsible use of these mechanisms. One of the solutions discussed at this meeting was the possibility of putting in place structures which allow the public to check the veracity of sensitive sms or email messages.

Nando's South Africa's managing director, Kevin Utian, expressed the willingness of the group to be proactive in setting up appropriate structures and communication channels, "We are prepared to support a campaign which promotes responsibility. Nando's operates in 33 countries around the world and it would be in our interest to illustrate our deep commitment to the protection and honouring of all cultures, creeds and religions."