Tagline has quickly become the subject of derision, with some critics likening it to a clearance sale slogan
A New Zealand tourism campaign targeting Australian visitors has been ridiculed for sounding like a clearance sale slogan and for being tone-deaf amid widespread public service job cuts and record numbers of New Zealanders moving overseas.

The government launched its “Everyone must go!” campaign on Sunday, in a bid to encourage Australian holiday-makers to visit New Zealand. The NZD$500,000 campaign will run on radios and social media in Australia between February and March.
“What this Tourism New Zealand campaign says to our Aussie mates is that we’re open for business, there are some great deals on, and we’d love to see you soon,” said Louise Upston, the tourism minister.

But the tagline – set against photographs of people sightseeing – quickly became the subject of derision inside New Zealand, with opposition politicians and social media users likening it to a clearance sale advertisement, a marketing campaign for the apocalypse, or a desperate plea for access to the lavatory.

The Green Party’s tourism spokesperson, Celia Wade-Brown, told national broadcaster RNZ the tagline “might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous”.
Responding to the criticism, a spokesperson for the minister told the Guardian that Upston was “very pleased” with the campaign and said it had attracted positive feedback from tourism operators and a marketing expert.

The tourism campaign is the latest in the government’s attempt to attract tourists, digital nomads and overseas investors to New Zealand to boost the economy. Prior to the pandemic, tourism was New Zealand’s largest export industry and delivered $40.9bn to the country. The most recent figures show those numbers are creeping back up, with tourism bringing in $37.7bn in 2023.
Australia is New Zealand’s largest tourism market, making up roughly 44% of international visitors a year. Visitor numbers are sitting at roughly 88% of pre-pandemic rates.

“The number of Australian arrivals in New Zealand increased by more than 90,000, up from 1.27 million to 1.36 million over the past year, but we know there’s more room to grow,” Upston said in a release.
New Zealand’s overseas tourism campaigns have a long history of attracting both praise and criticism. The award-winning 100% Pure New Zealand promotion - now one of the world’s longest-running tourism campaigns - is lauded for its catchiness but often scrutinised against New Zealand’s inconsistent environmental credentials.

Labour’s tourism spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel told RNZ while she broadly supported growing tourism, the latest tourism tagline was tone-deaf at a time when the coalition government is disestablishing thousands of roles across the public sector in a major cost-cutting drive.
“The irony of that messaging is: that’s how Aotearoa New Zealanders are feeling right now – there have been so many cuts,” Tangaere-Manuel said.

Some critics said the tagline was tactless for sounding like a directive to New Zealanders to leave the country amid record high departure rates.
“If I was in a [government] seeing record emigration I simply would not pick “everyone must go” as a slogan,” said one social media user.

Others took the opportunity to turn the campaign back on the government.
“The upside of the gormless “everyone must go” slogan is that by rights it should be easy to invert for election posters and protest signs …. Done. Dusted. And their own fault,” wrote a BlueSky user

The green South African ID book is being phased out in favour of a digital ID system.
We should be clear about what we want and what we don't want from a digital ID - about what data is being collected, from whom and how both government and third-party vendors will use it.

In the State of the Nation address last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa promised South Africans a new digital identity system to help "transform the relationship between citizens and government".

Whether the new ID system delivers on this promise depends on how it is designed, implemented and governed. Although digital IDs present genuine opportunities, the risks they pose are just as great, especially in countries such as South Africa, with its extreme inequality, mirrored in high digital inequality.
There is a sense of shared community among those who have stood in a queue at Home Affairs. The institution has become something of a cultural touchstone - a place we go for the collective ritual of bureaucratic frustration.

While a trip to Home Affairs is taxing for most, it is unquestionably worse for those who have never had the required documents, such as a birth certificate, and who are facing economic distress. So, in this light, it is rather exciting to hear that we will receive a new digital ID system that promises to make government services "accessible to every person at a touch".

Foundational digital ID systems convert paper-based legal identities (like South Africans' green identity books, or green mambas) into digital data for processing. They have demonstrated compelling efficiency gains across the globe, including in developing nations. The World Bank, which runs a digital ID for development (ID4D) initiative, estimates that Uganda saves around $7-million a year by using a national identification database to verify the identities of its civil servants. Malawi reportedly saved $44-million by merging its voter registration and national ID systems.

But there are also troubling implications of digital IDs that surpass efficacy gains measured by the dollar, rand and cent.
Some of these issues are inherent to ID systems - the Nazis' census, South Africa's dompas, and Rwandan identity cards serve as stark reminders of the enabling role identification tools can play in systemic oppression. Whether paper-based or digital, ID systems determine where a government or even another party (like a bank or a medical aid company) turns a blind eye and how it uses the knowledge it has to make decisions about a population.
Simply digitalising the system is not a silver bullet solution and indeed may amplify existing inequities while introducing new vulnerabilities.
Of particular concern are the threats of increased surveillance and a loss of accountability raised by some contemporary digital ID implementations. As more of our daily activities become digitised and mediated by technology, each of us is generating more data.
Digital IDs, which can consolidate this data, offer the government increased visibility of its citizens and other residents. This includes greater oversight of the status and activity of historically marginalised populations like migrants and refugees.

Essential services access
Perhaps most troubling is an emerging tendency for digital IDs to become gatekeepers to essential services, while introducing privacy concerns. Across sub-Saharan Africa, an estimated 470 million people lack official identification.
Where digital IDs become prerequisites for accessing healthcare, banking and telecommunications (as was the case in Ghana), such systems risk deepening existing marginalisation.

Uganda's Ndaga Muntu digital ID system offers a cautionary tale here, having reportedly locked out swathes of women, elderly persons and other vulnerable groups from accessing public services. While India's Unique Identity Scheme (Aadhar) has enabled the country to overcome significant identification problems, it has also excluded parts of the population and has raised important concerns over both private and public sector surveillance.
Closer to home, the South African Social Security Agency's introduction of a biometric verification system in its grant system last year mistakenly prevented hundreds of the country's most economically distressed from accessing lifeline funds, purely on account of technical barriers to using the online verification process.
Like all technologies, digital IDs aren't neutral and can come with both promise and peril. The potential outcomes of these technologies are shaped by factors such as how they are designed and implemented and, further, by unresolved underlying colonial histories and foreign aid agendas.
In these complex environments, a growing collection of state and non-state actors also act together to put on a compelling show of technology theatre: a tendency to brandish flashy technology to divert attention from serious policy problems. As yet, we have limited information on South Africa's proposed new system, and we need to make sure we are not setting the scene for another such theatrical display.
As a nation, we should be clear about what we want and what we don't want from a digital ID; about what data is being collected, from whom and how both government and third-party vendors will use it.

South Africa has strong constitutional and administrative justice governance frameworks and a highly regarded Information Regulator. We have the makings of adequate guardrails that can help harness the opportunities and mitigate the risks of a new digital ID system.
The challenge now is to leverage these protections to ensure that digital identification enhances rather than undermines our democratic values.

Are you about to apply for your ID for the first time? Here are steps to help you go about it.
Identity documents are issued to South African citizens or permanent residence permit holders who are 16 years or older.
People (including spouses and children) who are working for the South African government or one of its statutory bodies outside of South Africa also qualify to receive a South African ID.

You can apply for your ID at any office of the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) or any South African mission or consulate overseas.
All applications are sent to the Department’s head office in Pretoria.
There, your fingerprints will be matched with those already on record or entered into the National Population Register.
Your application will then be processed and once issued, your ID will be forwarded to the office where you made your application for you to collect.

Step 1: Visit www.dha.gov.za.
Step 2: Click on Branch Appointment Booking System (BABS).
Step 3: Enter your South African ID number.
Step 4: Enter your other personal details in the fields provided.
Step 5: Select your province, city and branch.
Step 6: Click on select timeslots

Applying for an identity document for the first time
First time applicants must submit the following documentation to their nearest DHA office or South African mission or consulate abroad:
•    Form BI-9, completed in black ink
•    A certified copy of your birth certificate or reference book or a copy of the old Transkei, Bophutatswana, Venda or Ciskei homelands identity or travel documents
•    Two identical, colour photographs (not needed at smartcard offices as ID images are captured digitally, however, colour photographs are still needed for temporary IDs)
•    Your fingerprints will be taken by a Home Affairs official and imprinted on Form DHA-9.

Correcting errors in the ID Document
If you get your ID book and there are errors in the personal information contained within, the DHA will replace your ID free of charge. To apply to correct information in your ID, simply submit the following to any office of the DHA:
•    Forms BI-9 and BI-309 completed with the correct information
•    Proof of the error, that shows the correct information e.g. birth certificate
•    Two identical colour photographs (not needed at smartcard offices as ID images are captured digitally)

The "Afrikaans Uber" service Wanatu is taking legal action against Tshwane's authorities over its crackdown of e-hailing vehicles.
The company has received the support of hundreds of drivers across various e-hailing platforms voicing their concerns about the alleged "unlawful" activities of the metro.
 
Between a rock and a hard place
Wanatu is a new e-hailing platform that launched in 2024 and has unofficially been dubbed the "Afrikaans Uber" owing to its name and language policy.
The name is a play on the Afrikaans word "waarnatoe," which translates to "where to," and the company also requires that all its drivers are fluent in Afrikaans.

The service temporarily suspended its operations on 5 February 2025 after two of its vehicles were impounded by the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD).
Wanatu described the metro's actions as unlawful and accused the police of intimidating its drivers.
It went on to say that ensuring the safety of its passengers and adhering to South African laws and regulations is more important than chasing profits, and subsequently shut down its services until the dispute is resolved.
 
The impoundments were spurred by Gauteng Provincial Legislature member Ayanda Allie, who accused the Tshwane metro of having double standards with regard to enforcing regulations on e-hailing drivers.
 
Other e-hailing companies such as Bolt, Uber, and inDrive have been complaining about a crackdown by the TMPD that started in late 2024, with officers setting up strategic roadblocks to fine and impound drivers without road carrier permits.
Many drivers were angered by this tactic as they had already applied for a licence, but the Gauteng Roads and Transport Department currently has a severe backlog of over 20,000 pending road carrier permit applications.
 
This issue has persisted for well over a year, too, as the department suspended new applications in November 2023 - several months before an amendment was made to the National Roads Traffic Act in June 2024 that introduced the requirement for the road permits, according to MyBroadband.
This effectively leaves e-hailing drivers with one of two choices: either stop working and lose their income, or continue to operate and hope that they aren't pulled over by the TMPD.
 
When their vehicle is impounded for lacking the necessary credentials, it can cost anywhere from R3,000 to R6,000 to get it back.
Drivers are encouraged to carry proof of their application to negate this issue, but these have not been accepted in many cases.
 
Resolving the issue
On 6 February, Wanatu called upon other e-hailing drivers to join its court action against Tshwane authorities.
"Wanatu is fighting for e-hailing driver rights in court. If you're an e-hailing driver and can't represent yourself, join our application," it said.
It didn't take long for the company to gain support, as it received over 200 emails in just the first two days from operators expressing their frustration with the current cycle of permit applications and impoundments.

The e-hailing service's court battle is being supported by non-profit organisation The Lions and the Tshwane West E-hailing Association, which is being registered as the Mzansi Independent E-Hailing Partners.

While Wanatu has suspended its services until the matter is resolved, Bolt, Uber, and inDrive are continuing to operate in the city.
One of the concerns for Wanatu vehicles is that they are more easily identified than other services, as they all use Toyota Corolla Cross models with clear branding - making them an easy target for TMPD roadblocks.

The new 'Travel Rule' mandates crypto exchanges to share client information when facilitating crypto transfers above R5 000 as part of its campaign to get SA off the grey list.
 
The change will slow crypto transfer - but in the longer term could attract more institutional investors to crypto. The change will slow crypto transfer - but in the longer term could attract more institutional investors to crypto.
The days of crypto privacy are coming to an end, though many would argue that happened when crypto exchanges enforced Know Your Client (KYC) sign-up rules.
 
A new "Travel Rule" issued by the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC), which takes effect on 30 April 2025, requires crypto asset service providers (Casps) to collect and share client information when facilitating crypto transfers above R5 000.
 
Even amounts less than R5 000 must be reported if there is a suspicion of money laundering or terrorism financing.
 
Privacy-conscious crypto users may turn to platforms with fewer restrictions or decentralised exchanges (DEXs) that fall outside the rule's scope.
 
The short-term impact of the rule will be to raise the costs of compliance for exchanges, which will have to conduct due diligence on customers' transfers.
 
Longer term, the impact could unlock access to regulated markets and attract institutional investors concerned about crypto's perceived lack of regulatory compliance.
 
This is part of the price of getting SA removed from the Financial Action Task Force grey list. SA was placed on the grey list in February 2023 for failing to meet international standards on money laundering and terrorism financing, and crypto transfers are seen as a point of vulnerability.
 
Also covered under the new rule are crypto transfers destined for "unhosted wallets" where the user - rather than the exchange - has exclusive control of the wallet.
 
Both sending and receiving exchanges must implement effective risk-based policies for crypto transfers destined for wallets.
 
Impact
The Travel Rule is designed to enhance transparency in digital asset transactions and will have a major impact on local exchanges in SA, according to Frank Leonette, CEO of crypto exchange AfriDax.
 
"This new rule will reshape the operational landscape for the crypto industry," he says.
 
"Casps are required to make significant investments in new technologies and infrastructure. Implementing systems to securely collect, verify, and share customer data, including wallet addresses and account details, will be essential.
 
"For many Casp platforms, this will require upgrading existing infrastructure and integrating specialised Travel Rule solutions such as blockchain analytics tools and standardised messaging protocols."
 

The changes required under the new rule will slow crypto transfer and could require manual intervention, which means more manpower will be required by exchanges.
 
Failure to comply with the Travel Rule could result in administrative sanctions under the FIC Act.

Farzam Ehsani, CEO of VALR, the largest exchange in SA by trading volume, says the company must ensure compliance with the laws of the country.
 
"The travel rule is no different and the cost of compliance is certainly increasing. We do believe that changes will ultimately be made to make the Travel Rule more appropriate for the crypto asset industry. We are working with the industry and regulators to try to achieve this."
 
Faadil Moti, CEO of crypto company 80eight, says the new Travel Rule is similar to that adopted in the EU and elsewhere.
 
"Many exchanges have already started complying by registering on TRUST, which is a network that facilitates the secure transmission of required customer information between exchanges during crypto transfers.
 
"While this may initially be seen as disruptive to local exchanges, it is an inevitable standard that all crypto platforms will eventually need to adhere to," says Moti.
 
What type of information?
The Travel Rule requires exchanges and crypto service providers to collect and record basic details of both the sender and receiver of crypto assets - including profile information, account numbers, and wallet addresses.
 
In practice, this means that when a crypto transfer is processed, additional details beyond just the recipient's wallet address will need to be captured, not unlike saving a beneficiary contact when dealing with a bank.
 
Recipients' details required include name, wallet address, and other essential details. These will be "whitelisted", allowing the sending exchange to securely verify and transmit this information to the receiving exchange via networks like TRUST.
 
Moti says many exchanges in SA already have the necessary infrastructure for implementing the new rule.
 
"However, the real challenge may be for smaller crypto companies that lack the resources to comply, potentially raising barriers to entry in the industry."
 
Anonymity
One key consequence of this rule is that crypto transactions will no longer be entirely anonymous. Much like SWIFT payments require sender and receiver details, crypto transfers will now require similar transparency.
 
However, one of the biggest concerns from a regulatory perspective is how exchange control policies will treat this shift.
 
"Transfers to unhosted wallets or offshore exchanges may now be flagged as externalisation, which could significantly restrict industry innovation and hinder the sector's growth in South Africa," says Moti.
 
"My view is that exchange control regulations need a thorough review to evolve alongside technological advancements, ensuring South Africa remains competitive in the global digital asset space.
 
"At present, the framework feels outdated and may limit the industry's potential rather than fostering its development," he adds.
 
It has been done before ...
Says Luno SA country manager Christo de Wit: "Having successfully implemented the Travel Rule in multiple jurisdictions globally, Luno is keenly aware of the challenges that regulators and industry participants face when adopting a compliant solution.
 
"These challenges include selecting an appropriate technical framework and managing the significant time and costs required to build the necessary systems and processes.
 
"While the directive brings South Africa in line with global anti-money laundering and terrorism financing standards, practical implementation hurdles remain, especially with regards to international interoperability between different Travel Rule solutions."
 
Good for trust in the sector
FiveWest CEO Omer Iqbal says the Travel Rule will help to enhance the reputation and legitimacy of the crypto sector.
 
"By increasing transparency and traceability, it strengthens efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing.
 
"Though it introduces additional compliance burdens, slower transactions and potentially a more restricted experience, it also legitimises the industry."
 
He adds that Casps must "proactively implement the Travel Rule and implement the necessary systems, strengthen compliance and train their teams to adapt".
 
"The Travel Rule ultimately reinforces trust and stability in South Africa's crypto market."