A Durban firm of attorneys was left red-faced on Monday after mistakenly placing a racist sale in execution notice in a local Barkly East newspaper.
The notice, submitted on behalf of Standard Bank of South Africa for the sale in execution of Confluence Farm in Maclear, includes in its conditions of sale that no bid will be accepted from anyone ”who is not a member of the white group”.
Greg Allen of the firm of attorneys Easton-Berry & Associates, which placed the advert, on Monday expressed horror when his attention was drawn by an East London newspaper to its contents.
”This is a stupid, careless mistake on our part. We will print a retraction and an apology.” He said it was likely that the conditions of sale for the notice were accidentally drawn from an old apartheid-era notice kept on file.
Standard Bank representative Gareth Richards said only the mistake was ”most regrettable”.
Barkly East Reporter editor Ernie Malenzie said the notice had been submitted by a law firm and his publication had not questioned it on that basis.
”The attorney concerned has already indicated that they will be publishing a big letter of apology in our next edition.” The next edition of the newspaper hits the streets on Wednesday. – Sapa