The investigation comes after a report by investigative journalism unit amaBhungane and Scorpio, implicated SAP’s South African office in an alleged kickback scandal. The report claimed that in August 2015, SAP signed a “sales commission agreement” with a small Gupta-controlled company, CAD House, that specialises in selling 3D printers. The investigation revealed that, “The terms suggest a thinly disguised kickback arrangement: if the Gupta company were the ‘effective cause’ of SAP landing a Transnet contract worth R100m or more, it would get 10%.”
The new management team comprises of Ashley Boag as Acting Chief Operating Officer; Peter David, Chief Financial Officer for SAP EMEA and now acting CFO for Africa; local ICT industry veteran Pieter Bouwer as South African MD; and Claas Kuehnemann as Acting Managing Director: SAP Africa, to whom the rest of the management team reports.
Kuehnemann said the priority is to ensure the business continues to focus on driving revenue and growth across its local operations. “It is important to us that all SAP staff, clients, and partners have the support they need, and that business continues uninterrupted. We have appointed a strong leadership team to ensure our usual standards of service and strategic support are upheld.”
SAP SE announced last week that Kuehnemann will take on the role of acting managing director for Africa with immediate effect while the company conducts its investigation into its South African operations. Claas joined SAP in South Africa in 1992 and has held executive positions for SAP in South Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
Staff Writer
