Controversial Fast-Food Ads Pulled From South Africa

One popular South African fast-food restaurant is in hot water after airing racially charged advertisements, reports The Atlantic. Now, South African airwaves have reacted swiftly to remove the ads from Nando's, known for its peri-peri chicken.

The newest ad from Nando's portrays tourists in South Africa, and aims to show "what's wrong with South Africa" — diversity. The ad, according to the Global Post, goes on to "vaporize" all tourists and other ethnicities until one Khoisan bushman remains. He says, "I'm not going anywhere. You *$&!#* found us here." The tie-in to food? Nando's new "diverse" menu, with a voiceover saying, "Real South Africans love diversity."

The South African Broadcasting Corporation has refused to air the ads, and told local media that they were afraid the ads would incite violence toward tourists. Others in the TV industry in South Africa have said the ad trivializes xenophobia, a very real problem in South Africa.

Nando's is no stranger to controversy: In 2010, during the World Cup, Nando's aired an ad that encouraged women to walk around topless to conform to stereotypes surrounding South African women. We guess satire isn't the brand's strong suit. Watch the video below and tell us what you think.