S. African restaurant pulls Mugabe ad

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- A South African fast food restaurant said it is removing TV ads referring to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe as "the last dictator standing."

Nando's South Africa said it decided to remove the advertisements after threats were made to workers at the restaurant's Zimbabwe locations by Mugabe loyalists, the BBC reported Friday.

"We've noted with concern the political reaction emanating out of Zimbabwe, including perceived threats against Nando's Zimbabwe's management, staff and customers," Nando's South Africa said in a statement.

"We feel strongly that this is the prudent step to take in a volatile climate and believe that no TV commercial is worth risking the safety of Nando's staff and customers," the statement read.

The commercial features a Mugabe lookalike reminiscing about old times with former autocratic rulers including Libya's Moammar Gadhafi and Uganda's Idi Amin while dining at a Nando's location.

Musekiwa Kumbula, corporate affairs director of Nando's Zimbabwe franchise, condemned the advertisements as "insensitive and distasteful." He said the South African advertisements, which aired in Zimbabwe and other African nations have "nothing to do with us."