Семья Софии Уильямс-Де Бруйн назвала извинения The Glenlivet за рекламу марша женщин 1956 года недостаточными

News Glenlivet apology ‘completely misses the mark’ after ad backlash By Rupert Hohwieler The Glenlivet has been urged to provide a transparent explanation for a South Africa Women’s Month advert that was taken down after widespread outrage. The Pernod Ricard-owned whisky brand’s South Africa channel released an advert on social media at the end of August starring actor Dineo Langa. The advert depicted Langa holding a glass of Glenlivet 18 as she walked through a building showing portraits of women who led the 1956 Liberation March in South Africa against Apartheid laws: Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Lillian Ngoyi, and Sophia Williams-De Bruyn. The advert also included a voiceover of Madikizela-Mandela. It has since received widespread condemnation for referencing the march and tying it to alcohol. ANC (African National Congress) party spokesperson, Mahlengi Bhengu-Motsiri, said on X that it is “deeply disturbing to see The Glenlivet use Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Mama Lillian Ngoyi, Mama Sophia de Bruyn, and the historic Women’s March to sell alcohol”. “Their legacies and sacrifices are not marketing props. The advert must be withdrawn and an apology issued,” Bhengu-Motsiri said. The brand has since pulled the advert and released a joint apology with Langa on X on 28 August, which read: “The Glenlivet unreservedly apologises for a recent influencer post which drew on the legacy of the 1956 Women’s March. “We acknowledge the offence that this has caused and have deleted the post. We are investigating how this post was conceptualised and approved to make sure this does not happen again. “We wish to reiterate our heartfelt apology to those impacted by the post.” Langa also shared on X: “I am sorry for the harm I have caused. I understand the gravity of this mistake and will be more mindful in future.” The families of Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, Ngoyi, Williams-De Bruyn, Madikizela-Mandela, alongside the Lillian Ngoyi Foundation and the Sophie and Henry De Bruyn Legacy Foundation, released a joint statement in response on 2 September, titled: “Our Liberation history is not for sale.” Their statement said that the advert “inappropriately used the history, images, and sacred legacy of the women of the 1956 Women’s March, and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela’s voice to market and sell whisky.” “We express our condemnation of this commercial exploitation. Our mothers and grandmothers did not march so that their courage, suffering, and sacrifices could one day be trivialised and turned into a convenient marketing gimmick for commercial gain,” it read. “They marched because they believed in the dignity, freedom, and future of generations yet to come.” Alcohol’s painful ties to exploitation within Black South African communities through the ‘dop system’ were also highlighted in the statement. “This history makes the decision to place alcohol advertising alongside the legacy of the women of 1956 entirely incomprehensible,” the families and foundations said. Apology completely misses the mark While acknowledging the social media apology, the families are seeking further explanations from Pernod Ricard and Chivas Brothers, including direct engagement with the global leadership team and chairman Alexandre Ricard. They are targeting a transparent explanation of the company’s internal investigation, as well as a direct, written apology to the families. They will pursue this through the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB). “Deleting a social media post does not erase the harm done,” the families and foundations outlined in the statement. “The material continues to circulate, and our families, comrades, and the country at large continue to encounter it. “An apology that speaks merely of causing “offence” completely misses the mark. This is a matter of unauthorised corporate appropriation of a national heritage.” Williams-De Bruyn, who was 18 at the time of the march, said: “The advertisement uses my image and the record of a life that my husband and I dedicated entirely to the struggle for freedom. To see that history used to sell alcohol is deeply painful, especially given South Africa’s devastating crises of alcohol abuse and gender-based violence. “I did not give Glenlivet permission to use my image or legacy. I cannot accept that a history preserved over decades can simply be lifted out of context and turned into a corporate asset at a brand’s whim.” National Women’s Month is recognised in South Africa every August in tribute to the more than 20,00 women who marched to Pretoria’s Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, in protest of the apartheid government’s pass laws. The date 9 August is also a public holiday in South Africa, National Women’s Day, in recognition of the march. Related news Glenlivet collab celebrates Jamaican and Scottish culture Glenlivet Small Batch Collection makes comeback Glenlivet releases 56 YO Eternal Collection whisky