We Buy Cars’ advert doesn’t contain ‘derogatory stereotypes’ towards Afrikaans-speakers

The Directorate of the Advertising Regulatory Board has cleared a We Buy Cars’ advert after it was accused of being derogatory and carrying negative stereotypes of Afrikaans-speaking people.

The board received a complaint that the advert on DStv’s KykNet channel discriminated and insulted Afrikaans-speaking people.

“The Complainant submitted that the reference to Afrikaans-speaking people having dirty feet is derogatory, discriminatory and insulting, and should be reported to the Human Rights Commission.”

Description of the advert

The advert showed a man standing in his suburban driveway, flinging mud against the side of his Toyota Fortuner vehicle while calling it “Roftie”. The vehicle then turns into a man, portrayed by comedian Schalk Bezuidenhout in khaki clothing, with mud splotches over his mouth and clothing.

At the end of the advert, Bezuidenhout says “I wanna get dirtier than the bottom of Afrikaans people’s feet …”

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“We would not degrade any culture, group or individual.”

In response to the Board, the company said as a proudly South Africa brand it would never degrade any culture, group or individual.

The purpose of the advert was to highlight the toughness of this vehicle (which turned into Bezuidenhout) in comparison to its owner, it argued.

“The Commercial draws parallels between tough people and tough situations. It is common knowledge that Afrikaans people enjoy walking barefoot. Similarly, walking barefoot is often seen as an indication of having faced harsh conditions, which results in dirty feet.”

The Board’s findings

To make a decision the Board used two clauses; Section II, Clause 1 (Offensive advertising) and Section II, Clause 3.4 (Unacceptable advertising – Discrimination).

The discrimination clause reads: “No advertisements may contain content of any description that is discriminatory, unless, in the opinion of the ARB, such discrimination is reasonable and justifiable in an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.”

The Board said they did not agree that the advert communicated a pejorative similarity between a dirty vehicle and the soles of Afrikaans people.

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“In the advert, there is a conversation that turns to emphasise the fact that the owner wants to create an impression that he is ‘rough’ when he is clearly not.

“The ‘vehicle’ (which turned into Bezuidenhout) explains that he is rough and that he would like to be rough and dirty, but in an authentic manner,” added the board.

The Board said while it could reasonably be accepted that not all Afrikaans people would necessarily associate with the appreciation for walking or playing barefoot (or being “rough” after “drie brannewyne”), “a reasonable person would understand the obvious hyperbole and intended humour”.