WeBuyCars under siege over ‘anti-Afrikaner refugee’ advertisement

WeBuyCars has been criticised for its new commercial, which poked fun at the United States’ Afrikaner refugee programme.

The WeBuyCars commercial, which caused the backlash, is titled “Selling Makes Dreams Come True“.

The advertisement is set at the Atlanta International Airport ahead of the 2026 FIFA Soccer World Cup.

A black South African and his family arrive at the airport in Atlanta, where they are greeted by an Afrikaans family in America.

The Afrikaans man asks the other how he managed to bring his family over for the tournament. He said that he sold his car through WeBuyCars to fund the trip.

The other man explains that he used the Afrikaner refugee programme to get a free trip to the World Cup.

“Trump flew us over. He thinks we’re going to stay. No, we only came over to watch the World Cup, and he is paying,” he said.

This advertisement did not go down well with many commentators, arguing it was disrespectful towards Afrikaner refugees.

Andrea Shea, an Afrikaner who moved to America, described the WeBuyCars advertisement as tasteless and disrespectful towards Afrikaners.

“In advertising, Afrikaners are almost always reduced to the goofy, khaki-wearing rugby fanatic, silly, carefree sports guy who exists purely for comic relief,” she said.

“Afrikaners are rarely shown as intelligent, educated, or thoughtful. This erases reality. They have given the world leading agriculturalists, doctors, and engineers.”

Well-known YouTube commentator Renaldo Gouws also questioned WeBuyCars’ decision to produce an advertisement regarding Afrikaans refugees.

“WeBuyCars thought it would be the perfect time to mock the Afrikaans refugees for deciding to leave the country. Classy stuff,” he said.

Other commentators were less diplomatic. “It is a distasteful ad. I dream of the day I see a headline of WeBuyCars declares bankruptcy,” one said.

“I have never been a fan of WeBuyCars, due to their ‘hands are clean’ after a sale attitude. It is good that this has happened. I hope they lose it all now,” said another.

Another commentator said that WeBuyCars turned the desperate flight of persecuted white South Africans into a greasy comedy skit.

“Your rainbow nation ad could have united people selling cars in pursuit of their dreams. Instead, you chose to stab White refugees in the back,” she said.

“It is sickening and inaccurate. The lack of empathy with people who lost loved ones in the most horrific ways on farms is next level here,” another commentator said.

WeBuyCars responds to backlash against the advertisement

WeBuyCars responded to the backlash against the advertisement, saying it was not its intention to mock Afrikaner refugees.

“This YouTube ad was created to celebrate sport as something that brings South Africans together, during Bafana Bafana’s World Cup campaign,” it said.

The company told Newsday that the advertisement’s theme connects it to earlier work on the same idea.

“We understand the campaign has been received differently by some viewers, and we appreciate the feedback being shared,” WeBuyCars said.

“Mockery was never the intention. WeBuyCars serves customers across every community in South Africa, and we remain mindful of that in the work we put out.”