Discriminatory insurance ad withdrawn

THE advertising watchdog has instructed that a Facebook advertisement by Pineapple Insurance be withdrawn, which compared driving without car insurance to greeting a taxi driver by saying “dumelang” (in Sesotho).

- ZELDA VENTER

The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB), after receiving a complaint from a member of the public about the advertisement, found it to be discriminatory.

The complaint submitted that the advert is full of tribalistic stereotypes and undertones, like the one that assumes that all taxi drivers are Zulus and hate Sotho-speaking people. The advertiser responded that the advertisement highlights the importance of having car insurance by drawing a relatable, lighthearted analogy from everyday South African life.

It states that the Zulu phrase used translates to “driving without insurance is like saying dumelang to a taxi driver”, intending to illustrate a situation that is out of the norm.

This is much like using a Sotho greeting when the standard expectation or cultural norm with a Zulu-speaking taxi driver is a Zulu greeting, it explained.