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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
17 minutes ago
- The Star
US tariffs will test South Africa's economic resilience
Nyaniso Qwesha | Published 5 hours ago On August 1, 2025, the United States will impose a 30% tariff on select South African exports, a move the Trump administration frames as a corrective to "trade imbalances" but which South Africa decries as a unilateral overreach. President Cyril Ramaphosa has rejected the US justification, noting that 77% of U.S. goods enter South Africa duty-free, with an average tariff of just 7.6%. Yet, the policy threatens to derail South Africa's fragile economic recovery, destabilise global supply chains, and escalate protectionist tensions worldwide. This article examines the tariff's sectoral impacts, systemic risks to multilateral trade, and strategic responses to mitigate the fallout. South Africa's automotive sector, a beneficiary of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), faces existential risk. Reuters reported that the US absorbed 6.5% of South Africa's vehicle exports (worth $1.8 billion in 2024) and is a critical market for manufacturers like BMW and Ford. The 30% tariff could force plant closures and mass layoffs, eroding a sector contributing 5.2% to GDP. Citrus: The U.S. accounts for 5–6% of South Africa's citrus exports ($100 million annually), supporting 35 000 jobs. Tariffs may cede market share to Chile and Peru. Wine: Producers are scrambling to redirect stock or absorb price shocks, but the U.S. market's premium margins are irreplaceable. Macadamia Nuts and Grapes: High-value perishables face logistical hurdles in pivoting to new markets swiftly. The textile sector may lose competitiveness in the U.S., while aluminium exports face a $534.5 million risk, with 24.6% going to the U.S. Furthermore, the South African Reserve Bank warns of 0.3% GDP contraction and 100,000 job losses. Fiscal strain from reduced export revenues and a weaker rand. The tariffs will disrupt global logistics: Freight bottlenecks: A pre-tariff rush to ship goods to the U.S. has already caused 6–10-week delays on routes like China and South Africa. Cost inflation: U.S. consumers will pay more for South African goods, while businesses face redundant inventory and working capital crunches. BRICS Retaliation: The U.S. has threatened an additional 10% tariff on BRICS-aligned nations, politicising trade. WTO Erosion: Unilateral tariffs bypass dispute mechanisms, undermining multilateralism. South Africa may expand its exports by increasing trade with markets in the EU and Asia. AfCFTA: Boosting intra-African trade as a buffer. The trade deal reached today (27 July 2025) between the United States and the European Union will ease tariff barriers and improve market access between the two economies. For South Africa, this development could have significant ramifications. First, EU exporters may displace South African goods in U.S. markets, particularly in competitive sectors like wine, citrus, and manufactured components. Second, the EU may divert more of its exports to the U.S., limiting the space for South African exports to expand into Europe. Unless offset by diplomatic interventions and aggressive trade diversification, this deal risks marginalising South Africa in both the U.S. and EU markets simultaneously. To navigate the crisis, South Africa must leverage trade finance tools: Export Credit Facilities: Bridge cash flow gaps for exporters facing margin compression. Risk Mitigation: Insurance products to hedge against payment delays and demand shocks. Market Diversification: Enter new markets (e.g., EU, ASEAN). Local Substitution: Support domestic production to replace costly U.S. imports. Conclusion: The U.S. tariffs are a stress test for South Africa's economic resilience. While the short-term pain is inevitable, strategic diplomacy, trade finance innovation, and market diversification could transform this threat into an opportunity for long-term resilience. The world will watch whether South Africa and the global trading system can adapt without fracturing further. About the Author : Nyaniso Qwesha, MBA, is a trade finance consultant with expertise in global commerce and risk management. He advises clients on trade policy, market access, and financial solutions in emerging economies.
The Star
18 minutes ago
- The Star
Bumpy road lies ahead for the nation
Kenneth Mokgatlhe | Published 5 hours ago President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, met in the While House recently. The US has been very critical of South Africa's foreign policy stance, which, on many occasions, went against the American national interests, according to the writer. Image: AFP September, a month synonymous with renewal and new beginnings, will be the most challenging period in South Africa's political and economic landscape due to actions likely to be taken by the US against the country. The first is the end of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire in September. However, the new 30% tariffs introduced by the US for SA will likely override the existing AGOA conventions when they take effect at the beginning of August 2025. The second biggest conundrum will be the possibility of the US Senate's decision on the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025. The ground is fertile in the US to act against the South African government, which is believed to have acted against the US's national interests. The US has been very critical of South Africa's foreign policy stance, which, on many occasions, went against the American national interests. This has been evident in their divergent voting patterns on various United Nations (UN) platforms, where South Africa and the US have often taken opposing positions. The relations between the US - SA did not break during the Trump administration, and Joe Biden also raised similar concerns about South Africa. The ANC should be told, 'You made your bed, now lie in it.' They have chosen to strengthen their alliances with the geopolitical rivals to the West at the expense of decades of working partnerships with the Western powers. It was very shortsighted of the ANC to believe that there would not be actions or reactions from the side of the US on how it is being undermined by Africa's powerful regional bloc. The escalating tensions between the US and South Africa took an uphill path in 2022 when South Africa was alleged by the US to have loaded the Lady R with armaments that would be used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The South African government dismissed this allegation. In 2023, in the aftermath of Israeli attacks by Hamas on the 7th October 2023, we saw South Africa continuing with its support for Hamas, a designated terror organisation by countries such as the US and European Union (EU) countries. Dr. Naledi Pandor kicked off a diplomatic storm when she agreed that she had a telephonic conversation with the same Hamas and offered them humanitarian support, a vicious group that invaded Israel and killed more than 1 200 innocent civilians and kidnapped more than 250 people, some are still held under the tunnels in Gaza to date. Just when we thought that the ANC would tone down its anti-US messaging, it did the unexpected by dragging the State of Israel into the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ). Their legal basis was that Israel was committing genocidal acts in Gaza. This act by the South African government would be seen as heroic by some, while others criticised the move because it would not be a viable solution to the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict. It is possible that the ANC's thinking at the time was to maximise its electoral fortunes, which drastically dropped to below 50%. Their energy on the issue is draining because it is not yielding them the political capital they had planned. If indeed South Africa was genuine about fighting for the rights of the vulnerable people around the world, they could have started with their population, wherein 14 million people are living in dire poverty, not knowing what they would eat the following day. A country where quite a sizable youth are unemployed. The country that experiences 62 murders per day for the whole year, a number that is unmatched throughout the world, we are the murder capital. Still, the political leadership ignores what is affecting their people. Mokgatlhe is a political analyst and consultant.
IOL News
5 hours ago
- IOL News
Bumpy road lies ahead for the nation
President Cyril Ramaphosa and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, met in the While House recently. The US has been very critical of South Africa's foreign policy stance, which, on many occasions, went against the American national interests, according to the writer. Image: AFP September, a month synonymous with renewal and new beginnings, will be the most challenging period in South Africa's political and economic landscape due to actions likely to be taken by the US against the country. The first is the end of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which is set to expire in September. However, the new 30% tariffs introduced by the US for SA will likely override the existing AGOA conventions when they take effect at the beginning of August 2025. The second biggest conundrum will be the possibility of the US Senate's decision on the US-South Africa Bilateral Relations Review Act of 2025. The ground is fertile in the US to act against the South African government, which is believed to have acted against the US's national interests. The US has been very critical of South Africa's foreign policy stance, which, on many occasions, went against the American national interests. This has been evident in their divergent voting patterns on various United Nations (UN) platforms, where South Africa and the US have often taken opposing positions. The relations between the US - SA did not break during the Trump administration, and Joe Biden also raised similar concerns about South Africa. The ANC should be told, 'You made your bed, now lie in it.' They have chosen to strengthen their alliances with the geopolitical rivals to the West at the expense of decades of working partnerships with the Western powers. It was very shortsighted of the ANC to believe that there would not be actions or reactions from the side of the US on how it is being undermined by Africa's powerful regional bloc. The escalating tensions between the US and South Africa took an uphill path in 2022 when South Africa was alleged by the US to have loaded the Lady R with armaments that would be used in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The South African government dismissed this allegation. In 2023, in the aftermath of Israeli attacks by Hamas on the 7th October 2023, we saw South Africa continuing with its support for Hamas, a designated terror organisation by countries such as the US and European Union (EU) countries. Dr. Naledi Pandor kicked off a diplomatic storm when she agreed that she had a telephonic conversation with the same Hamas and offered them humanitarian support, a vicious group that invaded Israel and killed more than 1 200 innocent civilians and kidnapped more than 250 people, some are still held under the tunnels in Gaza to date. Just when we thought that the ANC would tone down its anti-US messaging, it did the unexpected by dragging the State of Israel into the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ). Their legal basis was that Israel was committing genocidal acts in Gaza. This act by the South African government would be seen as heroic by some, while others criticised the move because it would not be a viable solution to the longstanding Israel-Palestine conflict. It is possible that the ANC's thinking at the time was to maximise its electoral fortunes, which drastically dropped to below 50%. Their energy on the issue is draining because it is not yielding them the political capital they had planned. If indeed South Africa was genuine about fighting for the rights of the vulnerable people around the world, they could have started with their population, wherein 14 million people are living in dire poverty, not knowing what they would eat the following day. A country where quite a sizable youth are unemployed. The country that experiences 62 murders per day for the whole year, a number that is unmatched throughout the world, we are the murder capital. Still, the political leadership ignores what is affecting their people. Mokgatlhe is a political analyst and consultant.
