Nando's Diversity Ad

SABC chickened out and refused to air the new Nando's Diversity ad claiming that the message in Nandos's diversity campaign violated the Electronics Communications and Transactions Act and Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) code. Mark Radomsky, a Nando's director and legal counsel, accused the broadcaster of censoring the company's right to freedom of expression. He said the campaign sought to address the issue of xenophobia by calling on all South Africans to embrace diversity and shun prejudices. He said the SABC had a problem with the opening line. ''The opening line cannot be read in isolation ... the advert needs to be viewed as a whole when determining whether a particular ad contravenes any provision of the code." He said the broadcaster had proclaimed itself as a censorship board. ''We are a democratic state, and the rights granted to us in our constitution are not simply words, but rights worthy of fighting for." SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyago said yesterday that the ad had been withdrawn because of its "xenophobic undertones". He said: "We felt that it might stir unnecessary tensions. As a public broadcaster, we felt we had to put the interests of the public before that of commercial interests." He said that the SABC would not flight any ad that contained bad language or incited violence, racism and xenophobia. More on www.gourmetguys.co