“Nando’s Is a Marketing Genius”: SA Chimes In on Nando’s vs Woolworths Over Shopping Bags

• Nando’s sparked major online chatter after appearing to poke fun at Woolworths in a witty post
• Other chicken brands joined the conversation, adding playful commentary that intensified the buzz
• X users flooded the timeline with humorous reactions, praising the clever marketing and timing

Bathong! Nando's was accused of making fun of Woolworths because the allegedly fraudulent businessman Vusi "Cat" Matlala used their reusable shopping bags to conceal money for illegal operations.

This occurred after the retailer changed the colour of its bags from black to clear white. Matlala made the admission last month when he appeared before the Ad Hoc Committee of Parliament. While taking to X, the South African fast-food restaurant Nando's seemingly took jabs at the retailer Woolworths, which has since gone viral.

It contained a witty statement saying:

"Some bags carry secrets. Ours carry smoke, spice, and nothing to hide."

The source of the image and its legitimacy are unknown, as it is not clear whether Nando’s shared it on its official social media pages.

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More chicken restaurants besides Nando's poked fun at the seriousness of the matter. Pedro's Chicken also joined the conversation with a playful tweet saying:

"PSA: Our bags only carry inkukhu… hhayi imali."

X users claim that Checkers and Shoprite introduced their own black reusable fabric bags in an attempt to profit from the Vusi "Cat" Matlala controversy. After "tenderpreneur" Vusi "Cat" Matlala admitted to using the old Woolies bag to hide his money during the Parliamentary testimony. Woolworths appeared to react to the social media criticism by releasing white, transparent bags.

Insiders, however, assert that the timing was only coincidental. The alternative transparent bags were ordered weeks ago, according to South African television, radio, and Internet personality Dan Corder, and unnamed sources within the company acknowledged a scarcity of the black bags. According to the source, "Woolies just got lucky".

SA reacts to Nando’s jab at Woolworths bags

The online community took to the comments section to express their thoughts, flooding it with jokes and laughter. Some users added their own reactions, saying:

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TheJustCaused said:

"We have been wondering what took you so long?"

Maestrongxabi added:

"Trust Nandos to be spicy no matter the situation."

Rosé Diamond wrote:

"Nando’s is a marketing genius."

Nape expressed:

"I knew Nandos will bring the smoke."

BlaqStone stated:

"Nandos had to enter the chat."

Mfana kaMaDlamini Gwala cracked a joke, saying:

"Now I understand why @WOOLWORTHS_SA decided to chicken out of the game."

Brenda Wardle commented:

"There's no smoke without fire though. This ad is flaming hot I still prepare the bag. Keep your chicken bag. I prefer the Woolies bag each time!"

More Woolworths bag stories via Briefly News

• As the new Woolworths bag began circulating on social media, it became evident that people were amused by the change as they shared their thoughts.
• A South African content creator’s creative take on a household shopping item became a viral sensation, blending local retail culture with high-end luxury and entertaining social media users.
• Woolworths got South Africans talking after launching a competition for a mega-sized version of their popular shopping bag. The retailer posted a video on TikTok on 7 November 2025 with the caption.

Proofreading by Roxanne Dos Ramos, copy editor at Briefly.co.za.

Source: Briefly News