Unhappy hour for drunks

The infamous "Papa wag vir jou" drunk-driving television advertisement sent shivers down the spines of countless viewers - including murder accused Shrien Dewani.

A sequel to Papa, aired last night for the first time, is bound to instil yet more fear in drunken drivers' minds.

Commissioned by alcoholic beverages company Brandhouse, the "Who's driving you home tonight" campaign is the next chapter in the powerful "Papa wag vir jou" (Daddy is waiting for you) campaign. It warns that drunken drivers could end up behind bars with hardened criminals more than willing to sexually abuse newcomers.

"I like a nice, pleasant body," one inmate reveals in the old advert.

"These hands will never let you go ... I'm quite demanding physically," another reassures.

"Papa wag vir jou," warns a heavily tattooed prisoner at the end of the advert.

Justin Gomes, from the advertising agency FoxP2, which was responsible for both advertisements, said yesterday that the challenge was to build on the success of the previous campaign.

"It was actually something more immediate ... if you decide to drink, the next decision you'd make is who is going to drive you home," said Gomes. "You make the right decision and get home safe or the wrong one and you could come into contact with people you normally wouldn't want to."

Two scenarios are dramatised. One could either take a ride with nasty-looking tow-truck drivers in their grimy vehicles or end up in the back of a police van packed with unsavoury characters.

A sweaty, heavily-tattooed man gestures to the viewer to come closer and, as the occupants of the van approach, a topless man leans back and starts breathing heavily.

Gomes said reformed prisoners "who have paid their debt to society" were used in the advert.

"It's not actually a performance; you can feel that these guys have been there and done that."

Heather Nobel, the responsible drinking campaign manager for Brandhouse, said the strategy was not to raise awareness but to change consumer behaviour.

She said "Papa wag vir jou" sparked much-needed debate around the problem of drunken driving.

The advertisement was viewed by 136916 people on YouTube and sparked a "consumer-generated" Facebook page, which had the backing of 17233 individuals.

It was aired last year in the UK court in which Dewani was fighting his extradition to South Africa to stand trial for the murder of his wife.

His lawyer, Clare Montgomery, argued that it would be unsafe for Dewani in South African prisons.

She produced comments made on Facebook and on news websites warning that he would be raped in prison. And to get her messages across, she had the court watch the advertisement on large plasma screens.