Why did the chicken fix the road? (Trick question. It didn't.)

13 May 2010

If you've had the misfortune of being forced to use Johannesburg's roads in recent months - or to spend more than about five minutes speaking to someone who has - you may be under the impression that the city has a pothole problem. If you've been exposed to the right media, carrying the right advertising, you may be under the impression that chicken retailer KFC is fixing those potholes. Only one of those impressions is rooted in reality. Here's what really happened.

Why did the chicken fix the road? (Trick question. It didn't.)

The City of Johannesburg is suffering from a bit of an image problem. It's not just the potholes; call centre chaos and its denialist stance on its decaying electricity infrastructure doesn't help. It's thanks to such issues that mayor Amos Masondo is currently at the centre of a satirical viral campaign with the subtext "It's okay! He's sorting that shit out".

So, clearly, Johannesburg needs a helping hand, right? Some selfless organisation, perhaps, which can help make life better for the denizens of the city as well as the fans that are due to descend upon Jozi during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Enter KFC. In a moment of inspired genius and good corporate citizenship, KFC rode to the rescue, to sort out the pothole problem once and for all. It did so in early March, by writing a cheque for R200,000 and handing it over to Masondo and Co, after getting the "absolute assurance" that the funds would go to "service delivery". Of course.

Continue reading the full article on www.thedailymaverick.co.za.

About Mandy de Waal

Editor, writer and researcher. *Editor of #TheFutureByDesign & The Africa Annual *Published in Africa's Greatest Entrepreneurs *Published in Rolling Stone Magazine, The Guardian (UK), Daily Maverick, Finweek, Mail & Guardian, City Press, Rapport, Moneyweb, Noseweek; Brainstorm Magazine; ITWeb, and MarkLives. *Before becoming a full time writer, de Waal founded brand agency Idea Engineers, and led the Cape Town office of Text 100.

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