Johannesburg - Cell C boss Jose Dos Santos - in hot water this week because of his sexist remarks - is a flashy sort of guy who tells it as he sees it, sometimes without considering the consequences.
That was the assessment this week of staffers at Cell C, including a number of women, after Dos Santos's remarks in a radio interview caused an outcry.
“Jose is a very flashy guy in general. He drives a Ferrari, wears the best clothes, he is just one of those guys,” said Cell C employee *Jane Johnson (not her real name).
While Johnson acknowledges that they may be some truth that her boss enjoys the occasional company of beautiful women, she said labelling him a discriminator of women was way off the mark.
“Yes, Jose is a flashy man who enjoys the finer things in life, but not once have I come across women at Cell C who have complained about him.
“If something bad happens in the office, we always hear about it, as word circulates around the office. Not once have I ever heard of someone talking bad about Jose.”
She added that Dos Santos came across as a very straightforward person. “I don’t think he has bad intentions. Some people filter out what they say; he doesn’t. I don’t think he means it, but he’s a very straightforward person.”
When Cell C hosted its year-end function last year, Dos Santos spared no expense. As a way of thanking his staff, the network operator’s chief executive hired out the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand and spent a fortune pampering them.
Entertainment on the day included performances by some of South Africa’s top musicians and magicians. Guests were welcomed by ladies in bikinis. The extravagance came as no surprise to staff members. They are used to their boss’s lavish habits.
Dos Santos, who has been head of South Africa’s third-biggest mobile-phone company since 2013, came under fire this week over comments he made in an interview on internet radio station CliffCentral.
“If I can use the term on the radio station, women do have a b*tch-switch and, boy, if you see two women fighting it’s worse than two men having an argument,” he said in the interview.
He also drew fire over comments he made about Miss South Africa participants being offered internships at the company. “Do you know what it does to the atmosphere in that company? The men dress better, they shave every morning.”
Top female management at Cell C have also backed their boss. On Thursday, they released a statement showing their full support for him. “We agree that his choice of words on a specific matter was not appropriate. However, what we know is that the public outrage he is facing for that regrettable choice of words has far outweighed what he has done for every employee in this company, particularly women,” the statement read.
“We believe in ourselves collectively as a team of highly skilled and highly capable women and we are rightly recognised as such in this company. What we know is that we have all had far more opportunities to shine and be our best under his leadership. If this was not the case, we would not be here.”
Meanwhile the network operator has revealed that their “Take a Girl Child to Work” day initiative continues to be supported. “Companies continue to back this initiative which has run successfully for the past 13 years and which has seen about 750 000 girl learners visiting various places of work on the day since the launch,” said Karin Fourie, Cell C’s executive head of communications.
“We believe it will continue to show the same success this year, and we have had no indications to the contrary.”
Saturday Star