Nandos warns of scammers and fake news

Nando’s latest spot Scamandla, directed by Jabu Nadia Newman, documents a hilarious gathering of ill-fated scammers to take aim at the corruption rife in the current South African political climate.

Know for their fearless approach to advertising, Nando’s latest commercial Scamandla is another scathingly funny take on the state of current South African political climate. Scamandla is a play on the protest call “Amandla”, “Awethu” that translates as “power to the people”. 

Director Jabu Nadia Newman, captures a clandestine roundtable meeting of the ‘South African Scamming Association in the dead of night. Each character personifies a real scam or scammer in recent news, who are unwittingly on the cusp of being caught in their own selfish corruption. The commercial concludes with a sting operation - played by South Africa’s favourite Cash-in-transit guards Leo Prinsloo and his colleague, Lloyd Mtombeni, whose foiling of a cash-in-transit heist went viral in April.

Nando’s are known for their political bravery and I wanted to do due diligence to that.

Jabu Nadia Newman also directed Ekurhuleni 11 for Nando’s - a satirical spot, based on actual events, is a humorous take on the fame and fanfare generated around a woman who gives birth to eleven babies... or is it just fake news?

Inspired by real events, the Ekurhuleni 11 is a cautionary tale about a woman who supposedly gave birth to 11 babies. Narrated by a sassy Public Protector character (with no wool over her eyes) a heartwarming domestic story twists into a hilariously absurd tale of deception. After a huge outpouring of support, by press and public, when the time comes to produce the babies it is revealed that there are none. The moral of the story? It’s better to trust in quality of a good Nando’s meal then in the fake news that is flying around these days.

I’ve never worked on a Nando’s TVC before, but I am a huge fan of their fearless approach to advertising. I saw this campaign as a real opportunity to stretch as director, particularly with comedic work.

“...we were referencing real people and events, so bringing them to life (with creative license) was really fun. Each detail was carefully thought out; from dressing the cast and surroundings, to bringing in details through performance and the interactions between characters.”