by admin | Mar 18, 2017 | Press Releases
Issued by Mediaservices on behalf of Debt Rescue
Attention: News/Finance Editors
23 February 2017
No embargo
Debt Rescue sells shareholding to Kleoss Capital for undisclosed sum
The extent to which debt counselling has become a mainstream industry became evident this week when private equity firm Kleoss Capital announced that they had bought a stake in one of the largest debt counselling firms in South Africa, Debt Rescue.
Debt Rescue CEO Neil Roets said that after almost a year of negotiations, Kleoss Capital decided to come on board bringing with them a wealth of expertise and experience in the private equity field.
“We are delighted to have Kleoss Capital on board. We were impressed by their methodological approach to investing and thoroughness during the due diligence phase. We look forward to the strategic partnership and the invaluable inputs Kleoss Capital will be able to make in our already strong management team.”
Roets said their primary reason for selling a share of the business to Kleoss Capital was that Debt Rescue had reached the point where it was ready to spread its wings to bigger and better things.
“We have twice been voted the best debt counselling firm in South Africa by both the public and by the major role players in our industry which included the major banks.”
“By having Kleoss Capital on board, we have access to the brightest and the best minds who have the ability to assist us to build on our success and take the business to the next level. Kleoss Capital is also a 100% black owned and managed investment manager.”
Roets said Kleoss Capital approached them because they considered Debt Rescue a leader in their field and was of the view that the company offered significant growth potential.
Hale Matsipa together with Andile Keta and private equity practitioner, Zain Laher founded Kleoss Capital, a R1.2 billion growth equity fund, in 2014.
“We decided to join forces because we wanted to create a business where we could put the expertise that we had learnt in our banking environment to full use.
“We wanted an arena where deal sourcing, deal structuring, debt and capital raising and acting in an advisory capacity to clients who wanted to dispose of their businesses was our main focus.
“We were confident that we had the requisite skills and the experience to raise sufficient capital to get an investment business up and running by bringing our expertise to the table to grow whatever businesses we chose to invest in to create value for our investors.”
Matsipa said their ambition was for Kleoss Capital to be a multi-class investment manager in the alternative space.
“We look at a wide range of attributes such as the value of the companies, how much capital they need and what they plan to do with it to grow the business.
“We look at their transformation credentials and see how best we can help them to add value and ultimately sell it for a healthy profit.”
Explaining how they decided on which companies to invest in, Matsipa said the first thing they looked at was whether they could get a healthy return on their investment.
He said his company would work closely with the management team at Debt Rescue on a value-add basis.
“We believe Debt Rescue has a bright future and is ready for the next phase of its corporate life where we see the business growing to generate solid returns for our investors. We believe that in Debt Rescue we have a solid platform for improving the lives of the millions of over indebted South Africans.
Note to subs: For more information, please contact Neil Roets on his cell: 083 644 7406 or e-mail neil@debtrescue.co.za or Annaline van der Poel on 083 415 4626 URL: www.debtrescue.co.za.
by admin | Mar 18, 2017 | Press Releases
Issued by Mediaservices on behalf of Christopher Consulting
Attention: News editors
15 March 2017
No embargo
Gauteng health MEC ordered to pay compensation to child victim of negligence
Despite assurances by the health ministry that South Africa’s hospitals were safe and places where the safety and welfare of patients came first, yet another case of negligence has been adjudicated against the Gauteng MEC.
The mother of a toddler who fell out of his hospital bed while being treated for pneumonia, sustaining a concussion and a fractured leg will be receiving R150 000 in damages from the MEC for Health.
The health authorities denied culpability claiming that the two-year old had jumped out of bed of his own volition and that they were not responsible for his injuries.
Hlako contended that her son was under their care and that it was incumbent upon them to look after him and to ensure that was safe.
She only noticed five days after the fall that he had a bump on his head and that his speech was abnormal.
It was only after the child had undergone a brain scan at the Steve Biko Hospital five days later that it became clear that he had sustained a concussion.
Doctors gave him antiepileptic medication and he was referred to a speech therapist before being taken back to Mamelodi Hospital.
The child was eventually discharged on April 27 2015.
The mother held the hospital staff responsible for the incident.
Sunelle Van Heerden, marketing manager for Christopher Consulting who funded the forensic investigation and who appointed the legal team said it was telling that none of the role players including the nurses whose job it was to take care of the toddler accepted responsibility for what had happened.
“They continued to claim that they had done nothing wrong and that child had ‘jumped out of bed’”.
Van Heerden said not enough people knew that they were liable for compensation when they were injured due to the negligence of others.
“I am amazed on a daily basis about how reckless people can be when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of others whether it be in hospital or in a public place.”
“We all have a reasonable expectation that we will be safe. When injury or death occurs as a result of negligence the injured parties have the right to be compensated for their loss.”
“Christopher Consulting funded the risk and all disbursements including the attorney’s and advocate’s fee, on the claim of Daniela Hlako on a no-win-no-fee basis. This gave her equal access to the law and to a world class legal team.”
Advocate JP Nel who acted on behalf of the mother said that the R150 000 settlement was reasonable under the circumstances.
Note to subs: For more information please contact Sunelle van Heerden of Christopher Consulting on 012 460 7050 or on her cell 083 738 0996
by admin | Mar 18, 2017 | Press Releases
Issued by Mediaservices on behalf of Christopher Consulting
Attention: News editors
17 March 2017
No embargo
Courts taking increasingly dim view of personal injuries caused by negligence
South African courts are taking an increasingly dim view of injuries caused by the negligence of others and growing numbers of claimants are succeeding in claiming compensation for their injuries.
One of the latest to succeed is Crystal Ann Beaver who managed to obtain a court order stipulating that the Villa Funchal restaurant in Willowmore Park is 100% liable for the injuries she sustained when she fell over a step in their toilet cubicle which was in darkness and higher than the rest of the floor.
Sunelle Van Heerden, marketing manager for Christopher Consulting who funded the forensic investigation and who appointed the legal team said it was evident from the growing number of cases passing through the courts that more people had become aware of the fact that they could claim compensation if they got hurt because of the negligence of others.
“In this instance there was no warning sign to alert users of the toilet that the floor in the stall was higher and that they should mind the step.”
Beaver, 62, a wage clerk, claimed around R1,8-million from Villa Funchal. No quantum has as yet been set and will be determined at a later trail.
On February 9 2014, Beaver injured her spine and lost several teeth when she fell. She was taken to the OR Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg by paramedics.
She was temporarily paralysed and could not move either her arms or her legs.
After she was released she remained in continuous pain and is no longer able to walk her dogs or go fishing – two of her great passions.
Although there has been a growing awareness among the public that they were liable for compensation in cases where negligence was involved, Van Heerden said not enough people were aware of their rights under the law.
“I am amazed on a daily basis about how reckless people can be when it comes to the safety and wellbeing of others whether it be in hospital or in a public place.”
“We all have a reasonable expectation that we will be safe. When injury or death occurs as a result of negligence the injured parties have the right to be compensated for their loss.”
“Christopher Consulting funded the risk and all disbursements including the attorney’s and advocate’s fee, on the claim of Crystal Ann Beaver on a no-win-no-fee basis. This gave her equal access to the law and to a world class legal team.”
Note to subs: For more information please contact Sunelle van Heerden of Christopher Consulting on 012 460 7050 or on her cell 083 738 0996
by admin | May 8, 2012 | Press Releases
Welcome to those of you who have an interest in learning how to write hard-hitting press releases that actually get published.
Sitting on both sides of the divide – both as a journalist/foreign correspondent as well as a public relations consultant – I think I am in a position to make some value judgements. The fact that I have been a journalist for the past 40 years perhaps gives me some insight into what constitutes a good press release as opposed to the ones that ends up in the dustbin.
For starters, it has to be a news story that can compete on an uneven playing field where news editors and news directors get bombarded by literally hundreds of news stories from around the world. Your release has to be so well written that it is the one that is chosen over the many other good stories.
A hard-hitting press release about the company, product or service will get your client out into the public eye at a fraction of the cost of advertising.
News stories carry a far greater weight in the public eye than advertisements. People believe what they hear aired as news stories on the electronic media and what they read in the form of editorial in the print media. In contrast, most individuals are highly sceptical about the content of advertisements. Surveys have shown that it takes many repeats of an ad before it builds any credibility.
Many times readers see an ad and they know that what they are reading is just overblown hype. Most readers are more likely to trust independent authorities such as reviewers, columnists, reporters or broadcasters. A well-written press release has the power to radically influence public opinion and our experience over the past 17 years has proven that beyond a doubt.
Over the next weeks and months we will share with you some of the tricks of the trade that get press releases used in the print media and clients on radio and TV. In the meantime, browse my website at www.mediaservices.co.za for some more background information on who I am and what I do.
One issue that I was not going to raise because at first it seemed petty but now seems a lot more important, is that of press releases being sent to me in my capacity as a foreign correspondent servicing a number of news organisations in the United States. They are almost uniformly poorly written, riddled with typos and spelling errors as well as grammatical errors and appalling syntax.
In this day and age of spell checkers and even an elementary grammar checker on MS Word this is simply unacceptable.
These musings are not going to teach you good English – for that you have to go back to school. What it will hopefully help you do, is to write a story as opposed to a scrappy press release that will get published.
I’ve had the privilege of working with some major South African and international clients and have helped many of them grow and prosper by positioning them as leaders in their field.
More next week……
by admin | May 6, 2012 | Press Releases
Writing a press release is the cornerstone of public relations. On the one hand it has to get the client’s message across to the outside world. On the other hand it cannot be a marketing brochure because it will be immediately discarded by the news editor of the publication or electronic media on the receiving end. It is a delicate balancing act which firstly has to meet the need of the media organisation – in short it has to be a cracking good news story. On the other hand it has to contain the client’s marketing message but in such a manner that it is non-intrusive and almost subliminal. Hard-sell does not work because those press releases invariably end up in the dustbin.
Because Mediaservices has some of the top news writers in South Africa as both owners and staffers, we are able to produce hard-hitting and punchy press releases that can compete with running news stories from all over the world and accordingly regularly end up on the pages of all the major media in South Africa. Our stories have even been featured on the BBC World Service and on CNN.
by admin | Apr 12, 2012 | Press Releases
Sebokeng hospital facing major legal action after alleged medical malpractice
A Pretoria reservations clerk was forced to lie in her own blood for almost 6 hours while giving unassisted birth while nurses in the ward ignored her impassioned pleas for help.
Bridget Moleboheng was admitted to the Sebokeng hospital in the Vaal Triangle during December 2010 and from the outset she was treated with indifference and disrespect. Her water had broken and she was in urgent need of medical assistance.
“Because I had the temerity to ask that I be attended to I was called “Madam” and everybody went out of their way to be rude to me,” Moleboheng said.
Moleboheng, who works for a Pretoria-based Hotel is in the process of suing the hospital and the government for substantial damages sustained during her stay at the hospital.
Her real nightmare started when she started giving birth: “Instead of helping me and telling me what to do, the nurses stood around chatting to each other about their personal lives ignoring my pleas for help.”
When the baby started moving down the birth canal, she screamed for help and still her cries for help were being ignored.
“The nurses kept screaming at me that I should keep quiet. At this point the baby was being born and still I was being ignored,” she said.
“While I was in agony and scared to push on my own, the nurses left the ward then went to sit at the corridor and continued chatting & laughing. They made it clear that I was going to be ignored because I had dared to ask questions and that I had behaved like a ‘madam’”
Sunelle van Heerden a professional consultant from CP van Zyl Attorneys said what had happened to Moleboheng was an everyday occurrence at certain state hospitals and the only way they would change was through legal means.
“It is clear that government lacks the will to change the horrendous conditions in state hospitals and ultimately it is left to the public to seek legal advice in order to bring them to book.”
Moleboheng eventually gave completely unassisted birth to a baby boy after many hours of labour.
“I pleaded with the nurses in the ward to help my baby who was at this point was turning purple. I asked them to help my baby even if they did not want to help me,” Moleboheng said.
“I had spoken to my husband on my cell phone to tell him of my desperate plight but he was refused permission by the security guards at the hospital to enter. I had not eaten for many hours prior to giving birth and after being refused food by the nurses, I asked him to bring me food which they initially refused. Only later after repeated pleas by him was he allowed to give some food to a security guard who brought it to me,” she said.
When the baby was born – without any assistance from the nurses or the midwife – she was refused permission to either hold him or breastfeed him even though he was crying.
“Despite the fact that there was non-medical staff including males walking through the ward, I was left lying naked in my own blood and the doctor that was supposed to attend to me was seeing other patients who were admitted before me.”
Removing her afterbirth was also performed with the utmost callousness with a doctor blaming the pain he was causing her on the fact that she was “fat”.
“He ignored my screams that he was hurting me and treated me worse than a dog,” she said.
She eventually used her feet to stem the bleeding and passed out several times before she was attended to and given a blood transfusion.
“I bled until the blood came all the way to my breast and almost to my neck,” she said.
After eventually having the afterbirth removed in an operating room, she was allowed to go home permanently scarred by the horrific experience.
It was recently reported that the Gauteng health department currently faces 101 legal claims totalling R235million, which reflect a horrific decline in treatment standards at our hospitals.
These claims are due to alleged negligence at various public hospitals that resulted in the death of patients, among other things.
Soweto’s Chris Hani-Baragwanath Hospital, the largest hospital in the southern hemisphere, tops the list with 26 claims worth R22,8million.
Seventeen of these claims are due to alleged negligence leading to brain damage and cerebral palsy in new-born babies.
The department revealed these startling statistics in its 2010-2011 financial report to the public accounts committee in the legislature.
The highest claim at Chris Hani-Baragwanath is R5million for damages following the “death of a patient after treatment of a toothache and abscess in the gum”.
The second highest number of claims is against Pretoria’s Steve Biko Academic Hospital with 12 claims totalling R16million, including a R4million claim for allegedly stopping life support without consent of next- of-kin, and another R2million after a “wrong eye was operated on, resulting in blindness”.
DA’s health spokesperson Jack Bloom said: “These claims reflect a horrific decline in treatment standards at our hospitals. Although some amounts claimed are clearly unrealistic, they reflect the trauma of patients who feel they have been victims of bad treatment.”
Ends…
For more information, please contact Sunelle van Heerden at CP van Zyl attorneys on 012 460 7050
