By Greg Ardé
Durban entrepreneur Arthur Limbouris might be nearly 9 000km from Ukraine, but this has not stopped him from taking a stand in an effort to make a difference in the lives of thousands of Ukrainians in the war against Russia.
As Russian invaders bomb Ukraine to smithereens and the ANC-led government bows obsequiously towards comrade Vladimir Putin, most South Africans bristle at their government’s moral failure.
Though outraged, they feel powerless as Ukranian president Volodymyr Zelensky gives daily accounts of the bloody terror unleashed on his country.
Before KwaZulu-Natal residents rallied to help one another during the floods, one Durban businessman hammered together a local plan of action to help Ukranian war victims.
Durban entrepreneur Arthur Limbouris watched the horrors of the war on television aghast. But then the outspoken Durban businessman directed his fury towards Putin as meaningfully as he could.
Limbouris, who owns Durban-headquartered clothing company FlyersUnion, manufactured 2 000 T-shirts emblazoned with the words “F-ck Putin”. He sold them online and on consignment in stores and coffee shops.
“You either sit on the sidelines and abstain or you do something,” said Limbouris, who since March has raised over R400 000 for Ukrainians, which he gave to Gift of the Givers, an organisation active in that country rendering aid.
Limbouris boasts a lifetime in the clothing industry. He has a reputation for speaking his mind and created the FlyersUnion brand in 2020. “My experiences have strengthened my resolve. I have strong beliefs. You need to stand up and be counted.”
In 2015 Limbouris successfully sued the eThekwini Municipality for its failure to clean the pavements outside his Stamford Hill offices. Later he protested state capture by hanging a monstrous banner from the building.
He said he was moved to help citizens of Ukraine because: “Putin is evil. I can’t sit by while this war unfolds. Families are being torn apart and people are fleeing their homes.”
Limbouris said he had been overwhelmed by the support of local businesspeople. A local businesman called Limbouris the same day news of his T-shirts went live, donating R20 000, one of the first of many offerings.
Limbouris commented that Dr Imtiaz Sooliman and the Gift of the Givers had “huge credibility and are doing amazing work”.
He said the T-shirt effort was supported by friends and associates equally outraged by the war.
“Craig Knot from Liquid Ink offered to do the printing of the T-shirts for free. So many people have contributed to this. Like our response to the riots and the floods, we can achieve great things collectively. We often just need a mechanism for action, to do what we can.
“I run my business on principle. It means taking a stand. If everyone does something we can make a difference.
“People rallied against apartheid because it was the right thing to do. We rally against corruption, poverty and service delivery failure because it is the right thing to do. People from across the racial, political, religious divide rallied against Covid and the unrest because it was the right thing to do.
“Helping the people of Ukraine is the right thing to do.”
Among those who have supported the F*uck Putin T-shirt initiative is businessman Michael Grossi’s firm, RRIB Insurance Brokers which bought 50 shirts for staff.
“We wanted to raise as much money as we could for the Ukrainians. We felt it was our civic duty. I am embarrassed by our government’s response to the crisis. Russia is the aggressor and has invaded and bombed Ukraine. That is plain to see for everyone except the South African Government which is increasingly unreliable and doesn’t represent its people, locally and in international affairs. Arthur has shown us we are not powerless. We can act for good.” *
FOR MORE INFO:
If you are in Durban and want to buy a T-shirt, visit Lucky Break or Soho stores at Cornubia, the Pearls or in Mathews Meyiwa/Stamford Hill Road.
To buy the T-shirts online go to https://flyersunion.co.za/ or www.luckybreak.co.za.