After an advertising campaign by an international whisky brand, featuring actress and influencer Dineo Lange, touched upon the theme of the 1956 Women's March, it provoked a strong negative reaction on social media and condemnation from the government. The campaign was withdrawn following accusations of trivializing the victims of women who participated in the historical protest.
The brand The Glenlivet faced criticism from the African National Congress (ANC), Minister in the President for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Sindisiwe Chikhungu, and social media users. Critics argued that the brand was dismissive of the female victims who organized the historical march against pass laws during apartheid.
The ANC stated that it is extremely concerned that the legacy of Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Lillian Ngoyi, Sophie de Bruyn, and the 1956 Women's March is being used to sell alcohol. ANC National Press Secretary Mahlenga Bengu emphasized that the legacy and sacrifices of these women cannot serve as marketing tools, demanding the withdrawal of the advertisement and a public apology.
The party also noted that using the history of the Women's March to promote alcohol was particularly inappropriate, given the role of alcohol in the exploitation and control of Black communities during colonialism and apartheid. Practices such as the 'dopp' system, where some workers were paid partially in alcohol instead of full wages, were mentioned.
The ANC condemned the attempt to turn the Women's March into a marketing spectacle. In the late 1950s, women in South African settlements were among the loudest opponents of apartheid-era liquor laws and municipal breweries. They organized boycotts and destroyed beer halls in some communities, protesting against laws they felt contributed to the economic exploitation of their families and communities.
Women also opposed forced removals and pass laws introduced by the apartheid state, calling for a greater role for men in the fight against apartheid. Chikhungu further criticized the campaign, warning about the danger of romanticizing and normalizing alcohol consumption. She stated that harmful alcohol use cannot be separated from broader social issues facing South African communities, as substance abuse can exacerbate Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF), family instability, child neglect, and other forms of social harm.
On Friday, The Glenlivet withdrew the campaign and issued an apology jointly with Lange. Earlier, Lange had removed negative comments from the video campaign on Instagram. The brand statement read: 'The Glenlivet unequivocally apologizes for the recent influencer post that referenced the legacy of the 1956 Women's March.' The brand acknowledged the offense caused and announced the removal of the post, as well as an internal investigation into the conceptualization and approval process of the post to prevent recurrence.
However, sociologist and political analyst Tessa Dums rejected the apology, questioning the brand's assumption that an investigation into the campaign's concept and approval was necessary. Dums countered that this was not a video shot on a couch but involved budgeting, storyboarding, scripting, production, editing, and a PR strategy. The public reaction reflects the ongoing sensitivity surrounding the legacy of the 1956 Women's March, which remains one of the defining moments in South Africa's struggle against apartheid. The march itself took place on August 9, 1956, when approximately 20,000 women marched to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest the expansion of apartheid pass laws for Black women.