The Tshwane Metro Council has been ordered to issue and pay for advertisements admitting that its marketing campaign referring to Tshwane as ”capital” was misleading.
This was the effect of a judgement by the Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa (ASA) after a hearing on the matter by its Advertising Standards Committee.
The advertisements must be placed in Beeld, the Pretoria News and on the SABC2 television station.
The hearing came after the Tshwane Metro Council had lodged an appeal against the ASA’s finding in May that the Tshwane advertising campaign was misleading.
In its latest finding the ASA confirmed that it was ”common cause that Tshwane not a capital city as it has not been so declared”.
”Also, there was in fact not a city called Tshwane”.
The Tshwane Metro Council’s appeal was, therefore, declined with costs.
The action in May was brought by the trade union Solidarity, the Gauteng North Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Federation of Afrikaans Cultural Organisations (FAK).
Co-complainants included other bodies and individuals fighting for the preservation of Pretoria as the name of the capital of South Africa.
Solidarity spokesperson Kallie Kriel said the ASA finding was a victory for those fighting to preserve Pretoria’s name.
It confirmed people’s right not to be misled over the name of the capital.
”The capital city of South Africa is called Pretoria, and not Tshwane.”
If the council did not heed the ASA’s finding, media could be ordered to refuse Tshwane advertisements in future, Kriel said.
He asked the public to get in touch with the ASA if they notice any future advertisements in which Tshwane is identified as the capital city.
The ASA committee observed that the current Constitution was silent on the issue of a capital city.
Previous constitutions that did contain such provisions have all been repealed. – Sapa