In the past, SA Breweries sponsored the beer tent during the festival. But the brewing giant has now been outbid by Brandhouse - makers of Windhoek Lager - which will stage a maiden tent at this weekend's event.
SAB is not taking Brandhouse's punches lying down.
It has brewed a plan to host another beer tent called Die Feeskasteel at a site known as The Lookout, at the entrance to Kirkwood - also between Friday and Sunday.
It turns out that The Lookout happens to be a site earmarked for one of the Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival's activities. Some sponsors - intoxicated with anger - have decided to withdraw from the festival, and organisers accuse SAB of “guerilla marketing tactics”.
In a four-page letter to SAB managing director and chairman Norman Adami, festival board chairman Paul Marais said: “I will be compelled but loath to engage with legal counsel to establish the way forward in protecting the Absa Kirkwood Wildlife Festival brand.
“It is a pity that SAB is continuing with its plans to disrupt the Kirkwood festival after we had written to Adami alerting him to the actions of his Eastern Cape staff.
“Steps are being taken to ensure that we protect the interests of our sponsors and of the festival. The festival is a community project staffed largely by volunteers and run by a Section 21 company. All proceeds are ploughed back into the community.”
SAB‘s Russell Hunt refused to comment, saying he would ask the company's media office to respond.
Source: The Herald
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