Pietermaritzburg -
Pizza parlour owner Geoff Tennant may not regard his latching on to the election bandwagon as cheesy, but his posters asking people to “VOTE for EFFing Good Pizza” are not going down well with one political party.
The Economic Freedom Fighters’ KwaZulu-Natal leader, Vusi Khoza, said yon Tuesday the party considered the Pietermaritzburg business’s advertising “an act of vandalism”.
He said the matter had been handed to the party’s legal team.
Inspired by the hundreds of election posters plastered on lampposts and telephone pole in the city, Tennant created his own “political” poster and T-shirt campaign, in an attempt to advertise his business and to mark May 7, election day.
But the owner of Pizzology Pizza Parlour, in Winston Road, said despite the obvious reference, there was no subliminal message or suggestion that voters should support any particular political party.
“We just support great pizza,” Tennant said.
The campaign appears to have been well received by Pietermaritzburg pizza lovers, with T-shirt sales on the rise.
The advert has also received more than 3 000 likes on Pizzology’s Facebook page.
According to Tennant, customers have also commented on the posters when purchasing their pizzas.
Tennant confirmed that after seeing the posters around town, EFF members had visited his shop.
“They did not buy any pizza but said they would return ‘to see if our pizzas were as hot as the EFF’,” he said.
Pizzology customer, Lauren Guthree, said she was impressed and amused by the advertising campaign.
“I have to admit, it’s brilliant and funny. It also helps that they deliver on their promise of good pizza – it’s delicious,” she said.
Meanwhile, in a twist of fate, the EFF marched to the SABC offices in Johannesburg yesterday over what it characterised as the national broadcaster’s “ban” on their political advert.
On Saturday, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) complaints and compliance committee (CCC) ruled in favour of the SABC by upholding the broadcaster’s decision not to flight the EFF advert.
“The CCC ruled that the advert may be perceived as condoning or lending support to unlawful acts, in that it talks about destroying e-tolls, which would be perceived as damage to property,” said Icasa spokesman, Paseka Maleka.
The advert, mostly in black and white, is entitled, “Now is the time for economic freedom” and it was also posted on YouTube.
The section in contention is a slogan at the end that says, “Destroy e-tolls physically”.