Debonairs Pizza says it wanted to “make an extra special effort this #MandelaDay” rather than make some dough out of its Doughnation project as some suggested at the weekend. TMG Digital reported that the pizza chain got up a few people’s noses with its charity drive‚ which involves using off-cuts from pizzas to make flat breads that are donated to the needy.In a Facebook post on Friday‚ Debonairs said: “Our Doughnation project uses the off-cuts from your pizza to make flat breads which are donated to charities across SA. This Mandela day‚ we will be making a special Doughnation delivery! So the more pizza you buy this week‚ the more pizza flat breads we can donate on the 18 July!”While it was mostly met with favourable responses on Facebook‚ it drew a few negative responses from some social media users‚ such as Manqoba Radebe‚ who posted: “I'm certain Debonairs makes a lot of profit enough to help the disadvantaged without luring us to buy more of their pizzas... this is just a gimmick to increase their sales.”Debonairs marketing executive Toni Joubert said: “Whilst the overwhelming response has been hugely positive‚ we have received a few critical comments and would like to share our thoughts.”She said that “in celebration of Mandela Day‚ Debonairs Pizza announced a special campaign for 18 July linked to its year-round Doughnation community project”.Joubert said the “initiative‚ started in 2012‚ is a daily‚ year-round community project which centres on encouraging our restaurants to use the excess dough resulting from the pizza-making process to make flat breads‚ which are then donated to charities in local communities”.“Doughnation’s primary goal is to reduce food waste and provide freshly baked bread on a regular basis to people who may otherwise go without‚” she added.While it “comprises a long-standing and regular interaction between our restaurants and their charities‚ in honour of this year’s Mandela Day specifically‚ we have asked all our restaurants around the country to make a special Doughnation delivery today to their chosen charities”.“Although we invited our customers to join in our campaign today‚ Doughnations take place every day. We just wanted to make an extra special effort this #MandelaDay by making more people aware of the efforts we make in the communities we operate in‚” said Joubert.That “extra special effort” earned the support of Rose Murison‚ who posted on Facebook: “I think that it is a wonderful project. Instead of throwing the off-cuts away‚ donate it to hungry children that barely have anything to eat!.”Beldered Matywatywa said: “Viva Debonairs you are @ least making a change in someone's life by this. People will always judge‚ even if you should give orphans free pizzas they will complain about why certain people get free pizzas. Keep up the good work.”Keatlegile Mangoale was one of the detractors. He stated: “Lets be technical here for a second...if you look at it‚ debonair's is actually donating jack... they said it themselves. ..'so the more pizzas you buy this week‚ the more we can donate'.... so‚ if no-one is going to buy any pizza this week‚ what is debonairs "doughnating"? Nd they're not even ashamed of saying that they're using off-cuts...Another Facebook user‚ Sinethemba Johnny Notisi‚ bemoaned: “’Off-cuts’ ..meaning Debonairs will donate left overs... And their donating depends on people buying. To me it sounds like a market strategy...”..