The Glenlivet and influencer Dineo Langa apologise after Women’s March-themed campaign sparks backlash in South Africa

Drawing on 1956

The campaign drew on the story of Sophie Williams-De Bruyn, who was 18 when she became one of the leaders of the historic march, drawing a connection between her age and The Glenlivet 18. Images of other prominent struggle figures, including Lilian Ngoyi and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, were also used in the campaign.

The creative decision quickly became a point of contention, with critics arguing that the campaign had crossed the line from acknowledging an important part of South African history to using it as a selling point for alcohol.

The African National Congress (ANC) was among those to condemn the campaign, saying the legacies of the women who participated in the 1956 march were being used to promote an alcoholic product.

The party also highlighted the particularly complicated history of alcohol in South Africa, pointing to practices such as the dop system, under which some workers were historically partly compensated with alcohol. It argued that associating a history of resistance with the promotion of alcohol failed to account for that context.

Investigation

The campaign was subsequently removed, with The Glenlivet and Langa issuing an apology.

“The Glenlivet and Dineo Langa unreservedly apologises for a recent influencer post which drew on the legacy of the 1956 Women's March,” the brand said.

“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.”

Langa also apologised, saying she was sorry for the harm caused and acknowledged the gravity of the mistake.