ON April 1, South African Tourism will launch a new Brand South Africa logo, which will replace all other South African logos currently being used to represent South Africa internationally.
  This was announced by Moeketsi Mosola, ceo of South African Tourism, at the Local Government Indaba on Tourism hosted by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism in Cape Town this week.
 
He said Cabinet approved the new logo in December and SAT had consulted with provinces, the South African Local Government Association (Salga) and some municipalities.
 
A Brand South Africa corporate identity manual would be available to all spheres of government and the industry by the end of March to help them implement the new logo. Mosola promised SAT would provide all necessary tools and training needed.
 
The new logo consists of the South African flag pointing south with the words ‘South Africa’ in strong typeface at the top. It will be available to provinces, municipalities, industry and other stakeholders to incorporate in their own advertising.
 
Mosola said the aim of the new logo was to present a united front and a single face of South Africa abroad. Currently, there were more than 70 different logos representing South Africa overseas and competing with each other, a situation that was confusing for consumers. “It doesn’t make sense when a municipality advertises itself on a billboard at Heathrow Airport.  People don’t buy a locality. They first choose a continent, then a country and then a locality,” he said.
 
“In order for us to compete internationally this has to be done. Alignment is a key critical component in order for us to be competitive. We need a single icon based on our flag, which is the third most recognised flag in the world after the USA and the UK. All provinces and localities must market (themselves) under one national icon and country brand.”
 
Mosola said the new logo was the result of an 18-month South Africa Alignment project led by South African Tourism and the International Marketing Council aimed at aligning ‘Brand SA’ and ensuring that national, provincial and local government co-operate to ensure that the “look and feel” of South Africa was the same overseas.
 
Mosola said SAT couldn’t force local authorities to adopt the new logo. “There will be no stick, but people who do not implement it will be left behind and their communities will suffer as a result.”