South Africa woke up Saturday to the tragic news of the death of popular Top Billing presenter Simba Mhere.

They also woke up to this tweet from the J&B Met account. Suffice to say it didn’t sit well with many.

The backlash was swift, brutal and unforgiving. That doesn’t sound at all like Twitter, does it? The J&B account offered up an apology, although that wasn’t enough for political commentator Eusebius McKaiser. He was particularly miffed.

Mhere was on his way to the airport in Jozi, where he was to fly to Cape Town to attend the event.

Personally, I think the reaction to the tweet is over the top. The intention does not seem to be dismissive of the tragedy at all, but rather quite the opposite.

So, any advice to brands and events when approaching future incidents? Maybe avoid using the word ‘enjoy’ in a tweet about the passing of a popular public figure, people tend to get a bit uppity.

[source:channel24]