There's a new book about Coke in Africa by Sara Byala, and I just read the review by Barnaby Phillips in the TLS. According to this book, Coca-Cola is the largest private employer in Africa; it and its bottlers, distributors, etc. provide 750,000 jobs.
During the intense politicking that led up to the end of Apartheid, Coke played both sides, working with the existing white government but also reaching out to the ANC; the first time Nelson Mandela came to America he flew in a jet provided by the Coca-Cola Company. Mandela was among other things a gifted flatterer, and he thanked Coke by writing, "When the history of our struggle is reviewed, the world will fully understand your catalytic role." From the review:
South Africa is one of the most straightforward countries in which to do business, thanks to its (until recently) reliable infrastructure and relative wealth. But Coca-Cola has flourished just about everywhere on the continent. The Coca-Cola factory still operated in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, during the most lawless periods; likewise, in the ruined city of Huambo during the worst days Angola's civil war, the Coca-Cola factory was pretty much the only remaining building without a single bullet hole. So too is Asmara, at the end of Eritrea's war of independence. For Coca-Cola, "Political unrest does not preclude money-making."
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Mandela was among other things a gifted flatterer, and he thanked Coke by writing, "When the history of our struggle is reviewed, the world will fully understand your catalytic role."
To my mind, that reads as extremely backhanded flattery - subtly implying "I know you've been playing both sides, and when this is all over, the truth will out."
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