Advert derogatory towards Afrikaans community: ARB disagrees [Video]

The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has dismissed a consumer complaint about a We Buy Cars television advert. According to the complainant the ad was derogatory and discriminatory towards Afrikaans-speaking people.

The complainant filed the complaint on 31 July 2024. It was made against We Buy Cars Proprietary Limited regarding a television advert that aired on DStv’s KykNet channel.

The advert features a man flinging mud at his vehicle, which then transforms into a person portrayed by South African comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout. The ‘vehicle’, dressed in khaki and covered in mud, challenges the owner’s actions. It then consequently suggests that the owner should sell the vehicle to We Buy Cars.

The complaint was related to the line in the advert, ‘I wanna get dirtier than the bottom of Afrikaans people’s feet’. The complainant argued that this was derogatory and should be reported to the Human Rights Commission, according to Bizcommunity.

The ARB found no evidence that the general Afrikaans …