SA Black Owned Kettle Brand ‘Zuluish’ Received With Mixed Reactions Due To Its Name

SA Black Owned Kettle Brand ‘Zuluish’ Received With Mixed Reactions Due To Its Name! Zuluish is a South African kettle brand that was established by Yandisa Zulu. The kettle is name is derived from Zulu’s surname and tribe, this is to symbolise how proud he is of his culture. Zulu also mentions on Facebook that the name is a combination of two words, Zulu – which symbolises how 99% of most successful companies use their last names for their businesses and this communicates legacy to him.

The word IUSH – is from the word wish which can also mean dream. The founder says it was always his dream to get into the industry with a long term vision and dream to be able to have a full production done in South Africa. He wanted a person who is in Doha, Qatar, Brazil or Germany to be able to immediately establish that the product is from South Africa. Creating products that reflect the reality of one’s culture immediately makes people proud because the products represent black history that will be passed on from generations to generations.

The product’s launched was met with a whole lot of controversy on Twitter as people criticised the name of the brand, claiming that naming the kettle Zuluish causes the exclusion of other ethnic groups. There are many brands/products that embrace the founder’s culture or tradition and these brands have been thriving without the criticism of them excluding other ethnic groups. Brands like Maxhosa by Laduma embrace the Xhosa culture and it is supported by people from different cultures.

@mabkhoza said, “Your first mistake is the name, your market will be limited to Zulus, you should consider rebranding. Otherwise, well done for creating the product.” @Yola303 said, “I can’t believe the comments, I am Xhosa and not once did I feel excluded when I saw the tweet before clicking on comments to see if there are features mentioned. Guys, ninjani daan?”

https://twitter.com/Zuluish___/status/1429674713589104641?s=19

This criticism caused the brand to trend on Twitter, even though the critics have negative comments, they are just promoting the product even further as many people are now finding out about it. This works hugely to the brand’s favour that has just been launched as it will receive more sales than predicated on their launch.

“Thank you for the love guys! Zuluish is named after our founder Yandisa Zulu. Zuluish is for all South Africans and all Nations. Ubuntu and unity is the way. We are receiving a great influx of orders. While we are grateful the response has been overwhelming. Please bear with us as we work to meet the demand. Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Pedi and more, it’s for everyone just to boil water with your family, so it’s up to you to make it international.” the company tweeted.

Zulu,Xhosa,Sotho,Pedi and mo it's for everyone just to boil water with your family, so it's up to you to make it international 🇿🇦love y'all ♥️ pic.twitter.com/c0zUACw2pN

— MONTE DUCKWRTH📌 (@mandoza___) August 23, 2021

By Thomas Chiothamisi