It Always Seems Impossible

It Always Seems Impossible

R360.00

Author: James Urdang

The book reveals how Education Africa, founded by Urdang to give disadvantaged South Africans a fair chance at educational opportunities, was brought to its knees by corporate misconduct. And how a high-profile champion and anti-corruption activist, Lord Peter Hain, took up the fight for justice and redress.

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When James Urdang sat down to write his memoir, It Always Seems Impossible, he wasn’t only telling the story of a life devoted to education. He was lifting the lid on one of the most shocking battles between a grassroots South African charity and one of the world’s biggest banks.

In 2017, Lord Hain stunned the House of Lords by naming HSBC and Standard Chartered in connection with ÂŁ400 million in illicit funds linked to the Gupta/Zuma state capture network. Soon after, Urdang came forward with forensic evidence that HSBC itself had engaged in misconduct against Education Africa.

What followed reads like the plot of a political thriller. In 2018, in a formal open letter to the UK’s National Crime Agency, Hain accused HSBC of:

  • Changing the locks to the charity’s office and controlling access
  • Reckless trading
  • Fraudulent access to Education Africa’s bank account
  • Unauthorised withdrawals from donor-funded projects
  • Deletion of financial records and correspondence
  • A defamation campaign, later proven baseless, against the charity’s leadership

“HSBC was a Trustee of Education Africa,” Hain wrote in his 2018 letter, “yet its own executives engaged in dishonesty, corporate bullying, and manipulation against a vulnerable charity. Staff lost jobs, their livelihoods, and one person even lost their home as a result. HSBC’s response was to sweep the matter under the carpet.” What made matters worse, added Lord Hain, was that HSBC Holdings was given every opportunity to put things right, but chose rather not to compensate Education Africa fairly and did not make a public apology to enable the charity to get back on its feet”. The fallout was devastating for Education Africa. Staff endured intimidation, financial hardship, and broken lives, while HSBC executives kept their posts, bonuses, and pensions.

“What HSBC has now done to a vulnerable charity and to those who have given up so much to make our world a better place,” Hain wrote, “is extremely distressing and shocking. This conduct by HSBC, and I am sure I can also speak for millions of British people, people around the world, HSBC shareholders, HSBC depositors, and say ‘HSBC not in our name’.” For Urdang, It Always Seems Impossible is not just an account of betrayal but a testament to resilience. “It is a reminder,” he says, “that justice, though often delayed, is never out of reach.”

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