by Thinus Ferreira
Glenlivet claims ignorance and says it is "investigating ow this post was conceptualised and approved" after it was forced to delete its shameful liquor advertising in which Dineo Langa links and walks around with a whisky bottle and glass for the 1856 Women's March in South Africa.
In a deplorable bit of crass liquor promotion, Glenlivet and actress Dineo Langa linked the 18-year-old version of the whiskey brand in a tone-deaf black-and-white advert to the anti-apartheid activist Sophie de Bruyn, who was 18 when she became part of the leadership of the 9 August 1956 Women's March in Pretoria.
Glenlivet and Dineo Langa have deleted the liquor commercial after massive blowback against the low-class commercial depiction and for trying to sell liquor tied to a women's liberation struggle.
The ANC political party, in a strongly worded statement, slammed Glenlivet, saying it "noted with grave concern the Glenlivet advertisement that uses the images and legacy of some of South Africa's most-revered struggle icons, including Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Mama Lilian Ngoyi and Mama Sophie Williams-De Bruyn, alongside the historic 1956Women's March, to promote an alcoholic product".
The party said "We strongly object to the manner in which this sacred chapter of our history has been appropriated for commercial purposes".
'The women of 1956 were not cultural props or marketing symbols; they were fearless leaders whose sacrifices and struggles helped secure the freedom and democracy that South Africans enjoy today".
"The use of this history to sell alcohol is particularly insensitive because it disconnects the legacy of these women from the lived experience of communities that suffered under systems where alcohol was deliberately used as an instrument of exploitation and control."
"Under colonialism and apartheid, practises such as the dop system saw farm and other workers partly compensated with alcohol instead of receiving fair remuneration. This entrenched dependency undermined human dignity and contributed to long-term social harm, particularly among black and working-class communities."
"It is therefore deeply troubling that a history of resistance against oppression is being associated with the promotion of alcohol without proper consideration of this painful context."
Attempting crisis communication, Glenlivet South Africa then did a social media post after the growing fallout, noting that "Glenlivet and Dineo Langa sincerely apologise for the recent social media post referencing the 1956 Women's March" and that they have "removed it from our social media channels".
Glenlivet has so far refused to take any accountability - suddenly framing the liquor commercial as something that supposedly didn't pass by them, wasn't conceptualised, approved, or had multiple people involved in its creation, or processes and checks that failed.
Trying to distance itself from involvement, Glenlivet said "We are investigating how this post was conceptualised and approved to make sure this doesn't happen again".
It's unclear whether Glenlivet is therefore investigating itself, and when Glenlivet will give a public account of who failed and is responsible besides Glenlivet for the liquor advert failure.
Glenlivet approves and pays for everything, including for Dineo Langa's appearance who was told what to do, as well as everything involved in the making of the liquor ad.
An entire Glenlivet marketing budget was approved, and the end result was approved through storyboards, production, filming, editing, scheduling and uploading - a long process over weeks where nobody said anything, or thought this is wrong.
Dineo Langa on social media said, "I am sorry for the harm I have caused. I understand the gravity of this mistake and will be more mindful in future."
Many people slammed her, wanting to know why she only apologised after Glenlivet pulled its liquor advertising.
"You deleted comments," noted someone. "When did you realise the gravity of this mistake? I'm not fighting, I'm genuinely asking. People tried to correct you and not in any harmful or shady way. Minuting our history to a campaign liquor payday".
