- Comedian Bouwer Bosch faced fierce criticism over a WeBuyCars advert depicting an Afrikaner refugee family in the US
- Former DA MP Renaldo Gouws publicly challenged Bosch on X, demanding equal treatment of other communities in future adverts
- WeBuyCars, in a statement, denied any intention to mock, explaining the correlation to Bafana Bafana’s FIFA World Cup campaign
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Comedian and actor Bouwer Bosch found himself at the centre of a heated online storm after a WeBuyCars advertisement his agency produced drew widespread condemnation. This was due to its portrayal of a white Afrikaner refugee family living in the United States. The controversy reignited debate around race, representation, and humour in South African advertising.
Bosch co-founded the Freckle Agency alongside musician and writer Bennie Fourie. The agency produced two separate WeBuyCars adverts, both of which poked fun at white <a href="https://absafricatv9491.live-website.com/south-african-police-killed-nigerian-ibeh-simon-during-arrest/" title="South African police killed Nigerian Ibeh Simon during arrest”>South Africans who had relocated to America and taken up refugee status. The more recent ad dropped during Bafana Bafana’s participation in the FIFA World Cup, hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico last month. On Instagram, they wrote that they ‘had so much fun creating this commercial.’
Bouwer Bosch responds to backlash
Responding to a critic, MP Renaldo Gouws, who levelled accusations of racism at Bosch and the Freckle Agency, Bosch questioned how the advert might have been perceived as being racist.
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On Friday, 24 July 2026, Gouws took to X with a pointed challenge directed at him, saying, “Hey @BouwerBosch, in your next advert, do me a favour and portray a black or coloured person the same way you portray Afrikaners. I want to see something.”
He asked Gouws to explain how the advert is attacking the Afrikaner community:
“Howsit, Renaldo! How are we portraying Afrikaners? I think you’re finding things in these commercials that we never wrote in. This is a word play on the word “refugee status” – how is mocking Afrikaners?”
Check out Bouwer’s response below:
Howsit Renaldo! How are we portraying Afrikaners? I think you finding things in these commercials that we never wrote in🤷🏻♂️. This is a word play on the word “refugee status” – how is mocking Afrikaners?
— Sitdown Comedian (@BouwerBosch) July 24, 2026
WeBuyCars responded to the uproar by distancing itself from any deliberate offence.
Mzansi reacted to the Ad
Reactions online were sharply split, with some defending the advert as harmless comedy and others arguing it crossed a line.
@YourDevillette wrote: “The damage to your client @WeBuyCars_SA is already done. You can justify all you want. Your advert harmed not only your client but also some of their potential clients.”
@MadKooi offered a different view: “Like, my word, so many people are super sensitive these days. Why does everyone just wanna see the bad in everything? Is this really what the ANC has done to us? Then they’ve won.”
Bokkieweek sparks outrage
In a previous report from Briefly News, Gayton McKenzie joined the debate surrounding the controversial Bokkiesweek.
His response to a controversial school sports event drew widespread attention from supporters and critics alike.
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Jessica Gcaba (Entertainment editor)Jessica Gcaba is an Entertainment Editor for Briefly News (joined in 2023). She is a Journalism graduate from the Durban University of Technology (2019). She has 7 years of experience as an Entertainment and Lifestyle Journalist, having worked at Africa New Media Group, writing for ZAlebs website. She passed a set of training from the Google News Initiative. To reach her, contact: jessica.gcaba@briefly.co.za
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