UPDATE: Sanral and celebrities’ campaign to pay e-tolls
JOBURG - With the constant battle of trying to get commuters to pay their e-tolls, the South African National Roads Agency Limitied (Sanral) has turned to well-known celebrities in a bid to convince the public about the efficiency of e-tolls.
UPDATE: 19 August 2015, 10:30am – Sanral has come under fire after a number of local celebrities were involved in a campaign to encourage motorists to pay their e-tolls.
Celebrities Tbo Touch, Minnie Dlamini and Khanyi Mbau were supposedly approached by Sanral to convince Gauteng motorists that having an e-tag was beneficial and offered a better driving experience.
However, EWN reported that the Gaunteng Provincial Government had denied they had funded the latest stream of e-toll advertisements.
Although a screen shot of the widely recognised government logo appears at the end of each advert, spokesperson Thabo Masebe claimed they were not involved in the production of the adverts.
“Our understanding is that the advertisement was done by Sanral, we have no role to play in it at all. We have not contributed to its production,” he said.
It appears the public didn’t take to kindly to the fact that celebrities were using their social status to support the controversial e-toll system.
I didn't know Khanyi Mbau had ever paid for anything. Sweet that she's now decided to pay her etoll fees. https://t.co/8Ha4nv0phb #Sanral
— Chris Vick (@chrisvick3) August 18, 2015
#Sanral can go as far as using Beyoncé for their campaigns, I'm still not going to pay for #Etolls! Nice try with the schlebs 😕
— Goddess (@Goddess_Chle) August 17, 2015
Someone please tell me #SANRAL paid those idiots to promote #etolls. I can't imagine anyone being thick enough to actually do it for free
— Jack Devnarain (@JackD157) August 17, 2015
https://twitter.com/EricJWest/status/632125834791395328
INITIAL REPORT: 18 August 2015, 3pm – Tbo Touch, Minnie Dlamini and Khanyi Mbau were approached by Sanral to try and convince Gauteng motorists who were not paying their e-tolls that the benefits of buying an e-tag offered a better driving experience on the roads.
The three celebrities are featuring in three adverts to explain what they thought of e-tolls initially, and how e-tolls contributed positively to many lives and the quality of the roads.
“When I first heard about e-tolls, I was just as mad as everyone else,” said Dlamini.
“At the end of the day, e-tolls are for a higher quality of life, it’s for better roads, and it’s for safety. And as a woman who drives a lot, I’m for those things… I’m for e-tolls.”
Mba added that as a woman who also drives a lot, e-tolling had made a difference to the quality of her driving experience.
Watch: Minnie Dlamini is for e-tolls
Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) said in a recent post on its website that the ad is a ‘desperate tactic’.
“We have seen Sanral try every trick in the book to coax the public to support e-tolls, from threatening SMSes to a multi-million rand advertising campaign, the latest of which is an amusing selection of three celebrities who appear to have changed their minds, from once being opposed to the scheme, to now having suddenly fallen for the new desperate dispensation,” Outa said.
WATCH: Khanyi Mbau encourages you to pay e-tolls –
While Sanral is convinced this will work, Twitter users feel this way:
#Sanral; next time when you want to promote #etolls payment, avoid using promiscuous 'celebrities'
— ☆ O$@m@ B!n P@$c@l ☆ (@OsamaBinPascal) August 18, 2015
But i thought Teebow Touché flies around in a helicopter? #SANRAL #ETOLL @OUTASA pic.twitter.com/hiMjaXpjxb
— Zee (@dose_of_zee) August 18, 2015
#SANRAL should tell the nation how much has been paid to 3 celebrities" to endorse #etolls @wayneduv @OUTASA
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) August 17, 2015
Someone please tell me #SANRAL paid those idiots to promote #etolls. I can't imagine anyone being thick enough to actually do it for free
— Jack Devnarain (@JackD157) August 17, 2015
All celebrities who refused to endorse #eTolls are wolves! #Sanral is a circus master. pic.twitter.com/ZWqXxNPhPD
— iCherry ka.. (@LeeUnmoved) August 17, 2015
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WATCH: Tbo Touch says “yes” to e-tolls –
