Travelstart's 'Great Tsek' campaign upsets Afrikaners
This comes a week after 49 white South Africans arrived in the US under President Donald Trump's resettlement programme.
In an electronic newsletter this week, Travelstart showed flames to the 49 Afrikaner 'refugees' who touched down in the US last week.
The campaign used the tagline, the Great Tsek, playing on the Great Trek, which was a significant event for Dutch-speaking people in South Africa.
The campaign featured an image of a black and white South African laughing together while sharing a beverage. The text read, 'Terrible things are happening in South Africa.'
It continued: 'Didnt partake in the Great Tsek? You're in luck because you can still enjoy a lekker braai in Cape Town or jive like there is no tomorrow in Joburg.
Referring to Afrikaners and the US, it added: 'Let the tsekkers make Uncle Sam's Land Great Again, South Africa has always been great!'
On social media, many South Africans criticised Travelstart for mocking Afrikaners interested in the refugee status programme.
Former Olympic swimmer Roland Schoeman posted on his X account: ' thinks mocking Afrikaners who fled their home due to crime, fear, and persecution is good marketing? That trauma is your punchline?'
In a YouTube video, ex-DA MP Renaldo Gouws asked the travel agency, 'Is this a joke to you? When did it become acceptable to mock people for their lived experiences?'.
Here is what others had to say…
@jac1702: 'The latest email ads are in extremely bad taste. Calling fellow South Africans 'Tsekkers' is disgusting, irrespective of your personally held opinions on the refugees.'
@DaleSparrow: 'Travelstart, you should have learned that cheap shots at victims aligned with mass media outlets are always a bad call. We will avoid you like the plague.'
@traceyh101: 'Nothing like a tone-deaf PR campaign to remind us which companies aren't listening.'
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 .
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
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