Johannesburg – Small Business Development Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has criticised Clicks over its response to the racist hair advert and has rejected the retailer’s apology.
The racist TRESemme advert published on the Clicks website portrayed black hair as “dry, dull, damaged and frizzy” while white hair was labelled as “normal”.
Ntshavheni is now urging Clicks to remove TRESemme products from its shelves as an expression of its dissatisfaction with suppliers who promote racist and insensitive marketing.
The minister said that a simple apology on racism was not good enough.
“The continuous undermining of black people, of women and black young people is because economically not strong enough. So if Clicks are serious about being a good corporate [company] in South Africa, they must contribute to that inclusive economy and say how many of their products are made by black women and how many of their products are suitable for black hair.”
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) members have started gathering outside Clicks store around the country on Tuesday morning.
They are calling for the retailer to shut down its stores until Friday and fire those involved in allowing the advert to be published.
