KWV CEO replaced amid 'Real Housewives' fallout
Anita Lloyd. Photo: Edrea du Toit
KWV CEO Boyce Lloyd will step down from his position early amid a furore over his wife's controversial appearance on the kykNET reality show Die Real Housewives van die Wynlande.
KWV confirmed on Thursday that John Loomes will replace Lloyd as CEO of KWV from next month. Lloyd was only supposed to retire from the position next year, but KWV said in a statement that it was part of a "carefully orchestrated leadership transition".
"It is important to clarify that there were no circumstances of dismissal or forced resignation involved in this transition," a KWV spokesperson said.
The TV show was not mentioned in the KWV statement.
Boyce Lloyd, outgoing KWV CEO. Photo: Boland Media
However, Lloyd's wife's conduct on the show drew a widespread backlash. Constantly flaunting her wealth and massive house, Anita Lloyd made derogatory remarks about the poor.
"We all worship Mammon, the god of money. If I didn't have any money, I'd jump from a building."
Being poor, she said, is "really bad."
She also claimed to regularly fly to London just for a Harrods shopping trip. Some of the programme's footage was shot inside KWV cellars.
READ | 'If I didn't have any money, I'd jump from a building': 'Real Housewife' Anita Lloyd has tongues wagging
Her comments came amid continuing concern about the conditions of wine farm workers. A new Finnish report, released in April, looked at three wine grape farms and found instances of poor housing conditions and worker complaints of aggressive treatment. In 2016, a Danish documentary about horrendous labour conditions on SA farms triggered a boycott in that country.
The wine industry itself is also taking strain, amid load shedding and other challenges, including with the ports.
The article has been updated with additional comment from a KWV spokesperson.
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