Tshwane thumbs nose at ruling
2005-05-16 22:32
Pretoria - The metro council here is crowing again about Tshwane as a capital, despite a ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority that such a claim is misleading.
On Monday, new advertisements were on display in Pretoria at a conference attended by 52 countries to found a municipal association for Africa.
On May 6, the metro council was officially informed of the ASA's ruling that the council's advertising with the slogan "Africa's foremost capital" was misleading.
According to the ASA, it is generally accepted that Pretoria is the capital, and the advertisement creates the erroneous impression that the capital, Pretoria, has changed its name to Tshwane.
The metro council had been ordered to cancel the advertisements immediately.
Banners and flags
Earlier, Dineo Pooe of the ASA told Beeld the metro council could lodge an appeal against the ruling, but it had to cancel the advertisements none the less.
On Monday, banners affixed to the fence at the Tshwane Events Centre (formerly the Pretoria showgrounds) where the conference was being hosted, proclaimed Tshwane's status.
Flags flying all over the venue made the same claim, while it was also the main theme of the metro council's marketing exhibition and one of the halls.
Beeld learned the advertising had been put up on Saturday, more than a week after Tshwane had learned of the ruling.
Pooe said the ASA would take the matter under review.
Some of the options that can be considered when an advertiser chooses to ignore the ASA's ruling are:
prohibiting media owners from displaying the council's advertising in future;
forcing the council to place advertisements explaining the ASA's ruling and to offer an apology; and
to have the council submit all advertisements for a certain period to the ASA for approval before they are placed.
Asked whether it is not immoral to display advertisements that were considered misleading by the ASA, the council's William Baloyi said the advertising "is not immoral because the Tshwane metropolitan council exists as a legal entity".
He said the ASA's ruling was being handled by the council's legal division.