The South African Older Persons Forum laid a formal complaint against Africa News Network7 (ANN7), saying a billboard along the N1 near Sandton discriminated against the elderly, Beeld reported on Wednesday.
The forum lodged separate complaints with the South African Human Rights Commission and the Advertising Standards Authority on Tuesday, saying the television channel advertisement humiliated people and violated the law.
On the giant billboard is a picture of an elderly man with the words: "We are not old farts … nah, not even our presenters".
According to the forum, the wording amounted to abuse of the elderly, in terms of the Older Persons Act of 2006.
"Do we old people not have a hard enough time already in our country?" asked Roedolf Kay, national co-ordinator of the forum.
Discrimination against the elderly
Kay said discrimination against the elderly was a major problem in South Africa.
"The [forum] insists that all humiliating advertising material be removed immediately and that apologies be made to all older people in South Africa."
A spokesperson for ANN7 did not respond to requests from Beeld for comment.
ANN7, which aired for the first time on Wednesday, is the product of a Gupta family partnership with Duduzane Zuma.
It was launched under the umbrella of Infinity Media – a joint venture between India's Essel Media and the Gupta firm Oakbay Investments. – Sapa, additional reporting by Staff Reporter