We Buy Cars Responds To Backlash Over Afrikaner Refugee-Themed Advert

• We Buy Cars faced online backlash over a recent advert about Afrikaner refugees living in the US
• The advert showed an Afrikaner family joking about getting a free trip to America through Donald Trump's refugee programme
• The company said mockery was never the plan and it insisted it still serves every community across South Africa

We Buy Cars has responded after backlash erupted over its Afrikaner refugee advert this week. The car buying company said mockery was never intended, despite facing strong criticism online.

The advert, released last month, showed two South African families meeting in the US during the FIFA World Cup. One family, black South Africans, travelled to watch the tournament. The other, a white Afrikaner family, joked about getting a free trip to America through Trump’s refugee scheme.

Close to 8,000 mostly white South Africans have already relocated to the US. They moved under Trump’s programme for racial minorities, based on his unproven claims of racial persecution and land reform threats back home.

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The backlash builds

Members of the Afrikaner community slammed the advert, including some who have already resettled in America. Many felt the ad turned a serious political issue into a joke.

According to reports, We Buy Cars addressed the criticism directly in a statement. The company said the campaign aimed to celebrate sport uniting South Africans during Bafana Bafana’s World Cup run. It admitted the ad landed differently for some viewers than intended, and said it valued the feedback shared online. The brand insisted it serves customers from every community and remains mindful of that in future campaigns.

This isn’t the first time the company has touched on the refugee topic. Back in April last year, weeks before the first group of South Africans left for the US, We Buy Cars aired an advert called Rev Jou Jeep status. That campaign actually won the Creative Visionary Award at the 2025 YouTube Works Awards South Africa.

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See the advert below:

More involving SA adverts

• A local fast food restaurant surprised many viewers with a hilarious remake of a famous advert in a true South African style.
• A classic, nostalgic Chicken Licken commercial has gone viral again after being reshared on social media 16 years after it first aired on our TV screens.
• A TikTok user shared a 2017 Nando's advert that talked about a topic that can often go the controversial route.

Source: Briefly News