Coming back from dropping my mom-in-law at home I got stopped by the robot (traffic light for the non-Saffers) at Somerset Mall. I was maybe six or seven cars back from the line and watched a young black guy walking towards me trying to hand out advertising flyers. Not one of the drivers in front of me was prepared to take a flyer; I did.
The way I see it is that people handing out flyers are probably paid very little for being on their feet all day, dodging cars in sun or rain. I’m sure that they are expected to hand out all the flyers they were issued with and may be paid less if they don’t. So I always take a flyer to help them get their day’s work done. I urge all drivers to do the same. I’m not suggesting you must support the businesses doing the advertising, I could care less if you even read it; just take the flyer and toss it in the bin when you get home and you will be helping someone. So what if you have the inconvenience of opening your window, most of us have electric car windows anyway.
craniac's place 
How many businesses still advertise via flyers?
I think the response rate for those is infinitesimally low these days.
I usually take one and see if the business has a web site or email address published on the flyer. If they do, I contact them in regard to advertising online, which shows a much better response rate these days (for most businesses).
It seems to me that South African businesses are largely (and of course I’m generalising) rather backward when it comes to online exposure.
If you hear the name of an international product or business you are almost certain to find a web presence for the company as well as independent reviews of the product. By contrast the chances of having similar success with local products or businesses are much slimmer; and often the only reference you do find is some kind of electronic business card on a third-party business register. And often they say things like visit our web site at acmewidgets@iafrica.com or send us e-mail at http://not.an.email.address.
Here in the Helderberg flyers still work. I agree, by taking a pamphlet you support a job for someone else that might not of been there if it was not for that.
Even if I know I wont read it, I will still take one.