Dear Editor
It is with great dismay that Standard Bank has become aware of an e-mail send by an environmentalist doing the rounds which showed a tree having been trimmed in front of a Billboard of Standard Bank at the Truck Stop in Windhoek.

Unfortunately this seems to have led to an incorrect perception in the market that Standard Bank had commissioned the respective outdoor company to cut the trees to ensure a better view of the billboard of the bank. The bank wants to confirm that this is not true.
As a responsible corporate citizen of this country, the bank has been an avid supporter of conservation and is vigorously enforcing this through all the contracts signed with suppliers.
Standard Bank, with its roots firmly placed in Namibia for more than 92 years, has not only supported the people of this country through numerous sponsorship and corporate social investment initiatives, but has also always been conscious of the beautiful, diverse and sometimes fragile nature of our environment. We would never condone any actions that would lead to the harming of the fauna and flora in our beautiful country.
We are part and parcel of this beautiful country, its diverse people, spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, sunny climate, desert, droughts, perennial rivers and the ocean and would like remain part of conserving it for many more generations of Namibians.

Mpumzi Pupuma
Managing Director