This archive report was first published on 12 November 2019.
Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Group, faced backlash in South Africa after posting a tweet that featured no black people in a country where they make up 80% of the population.
On November 11, 2019, Branson tweeted a picture of himself and eight others, captioned 'We aim to become the heart of entrepreneurship in Southern Africa.'
The tweet sparked outrage, with many South Africans pointing out the lack of diversity in the photo.
"Where did you find so many white people in South Africa?" one tweet asked.
"I wish there were more BLACK entrepreneurs in this picture," @NomsBomba said.
Following the backlash, Branson deleted the tweet and apologized, saying "The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship is for all South Africans, but yesterday's choice of a photo to go with my tweet clearly lacked diversity. Apologies."
The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship serves as a business development hub aimed at supporting entrepreneurs.
