However, the story took an interesting turn yesterday when it came to light that “someone” had taken M-Net to the The Advertising Standards Authority of SA (ASA) for false advertising. 2oceansvibe contacted the ASA, and spoke to Farzana Omar – a consultant for dispute resolution. She confirmed to us that this was true, however, they did not want to say who the complainant was:

At this juncture all I can inform you about is that a complaint has been lodged against a video on YouTube as well as internet advertisement. The complainant alleges that the master chef winnings that were advertised was false. A response is expected by close of business today, after which the Directorate will consider the merits.

Even though Omar did not want to go into details, it is very likely that they are referring to the below YouTube video, as well as this post – STILL LISTED on the DSTV website:

MasterChef SA offers the most valuable prize in South African television history: R250 000 from Robertsons, a brand new Hyundai Elantra 1.6 GLS, a 7-day culinary experience in Italy and an Italian cookery course courtesy of Woolworths, a year’s supply of Nederburg Winemaster’s Reserve wines and a customised sommelier course and one-on-one MasterClasses with Nederburg’s cellarmaster, as well as their very own Southern Sun restaurant at Sun Square Montecasino. The total prize value for South Africa’s first MasterChef exceeds R8 Million.

M-Net was also contacted for feedback, but has not gotten back to 2oceansvibe with anything as yet.