From a simple shopping bag to a national headline

South Africans will always find the humour in serious news stories.

Alleged criminal Vusimuzi 'Cat' Matlala recently admitted that he used the black Woolies bags to carry large sums of cash, allegedly for bribes. Not long afterwards, the retailer changed its well-known black reusable bag to a new white, almost transparent one.

Marketing specialist David Duarte thinks it's likely a coincidence.

"I would say there's very little chance that they could roll out change on that scale within a few days, but what is notable is that they haven't issued a public response to deny people's speculations – which I think is a great move."

The general response has been positive for the brand, and of course the unique sense of humour was also in full swing...

To listen to Duarte speaking to CapeTalk's Amy McIver, click the audio below: