South African comedian and former US TV show host Trevor Noah has taken centre stage with a tourism advert that has garnered a surprising amount of public approval.
Rumours that the comedian was expected to be paid R33 million for the advert that would promote South Africa as a tourist destination sparked a heated debate among South Africans on social media recently.
However, Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille had categorically denied any government involvement, saying the bill would be footed by the Tourism Business Council of SA (TBCSA), and that no government money would be spent on the venture.
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The advert was released online on Thursday and many social media users have given it a thumbs-up
TBCSA CEO Tshifhiwa Tshivhenga told News24 recently that he is the owner of the project and it has nothing to do with government.
“If we do the project, it will be a private sector initiative and we don’t report to government or Parliament,” he said at the time.