South African adverts threaten men with prison rape if caught drink driving

A South African drink drive advertising campaign has been criticised for warning men they could be raped in prison if caught intoxicated behind the wheel. The locally-produced television advertisement imitates lonely hearts film clips, with burly and dishevelled men telling viewers: "I'm looking for a special person", "someone who can handle heavy situations with a smile". But the campaign has been attacked for making light of the country's problem with sexual violence.

One advert promises: "These hands will never let you go," before the camera pans out to reveal a prison cell crowded with inmates sprawled on beds and mattresses. The text on screen reveals: "They'd love to meet you. Never drink and drive." The advertisement – the brainchild of local drinks firm Brandhouse Beverages and endorsed by the Road Traffic Management Organisation and the National Transport Department – has caused outrage among prison reform and sexual violence groups which said it mocked the plight of prisoners while joking about endemic rape in South African jails.



Rachel Jewkes, of South Africa's Sexual Violence Research Initiative, said sexual violence is often used by gangs to dominate inmates in South Africa's prisons. "The problem of prison rape is a very real and serious one and there seems to be little political will to resolve it," she said. "This advertisement is not raising awareness of the problem so much as saying that it is an extra form of punishment." Lukas Muntingh, of the Civil Society Prison Reform Initiative, added that if the advertisement had been targeted at women, there would have been an outcry.

Brandhouse Beverages said its research had shown that 88 per cent of South Africans would be deterred from drink driving by the prospect of arrest and imprisonment. "We wanted to create a campaign which didn't simply create awareness but changed consumer behaviour so that they never drink and drive again." A total of 43 per cent of those polled in a Brandhouse survey admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol in the past month. Police have already started setting up roadblocks in anticipation of the festive season, but motorists also know that they have a chance of escaping unpunished if they offer a bribe. A recent radio station poll asking listeners to text or call in if they had bribed a road traffic officer in the past three months was met with 2,500 positive responses over two days.