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Clicks is under fire for depicting black hair as damaged and dry on their website.
- Clicks CEO Vikesh Ramsunder has apologized for an “offensive” ad on his website, which shows black women’s hair as “damaged.”
- Ramsunder said the ad had been removed and the responsible employees suspended.
- Despite the apology, the EFF has promised to “close” Clicks stores across the country in protest.
Clicks Group CEO Vikesh Ramsunder apologized for the “insensitive and offensive” ad posted on his website, but the EFF promised to continue with the nationwide closure of the chain’s stores.
The ad, which went viral on Friday and sparked outrage, included photos of four women, two black and two white. News24 previously reported that the ad described the two black women’s hair as “dry and damaged” and “frizzy and dull,” while the description of the white women’s hair was “fine and flat” and “normal.”
As a result, the EFF threatened to “close” all Clicks stores Monday through Friday this week.
“Fighters, all of us tomorrow morning, we will report to the nearest Clicks store to make sure the EFF directive is implemented,” EFF General Secretary Marshall Dlamini said in a video statement Sunday.
In a statement late Sunday night, Ramsunder said he was “deeply disappointed that we allowed insensitive and offensive images to be posted on our website.”
“I apologize unreservedly for the pain and anger these images have caused. The emotional responses from our customers have been reflected by our employees and management teams. And although the images and content were provided to us by our vendor, Tresemmé, this do not absolve us of guilt.
“That is why we take responsibility for this error in judgment by issuing a public apology and promptly removing offensive material from our website.
“Over the past few days, I have thought deeply about what it means to be a proud South African corporate citizen and consulted extensively with various stakeholders to help me develop a comprehensive response to redress our mistake,” Ramsunder said.
Suspended employees
“The negligent employees have already been suspended and we have hired the vendor, who has now also issued an apology. This incident has highlighted the need to audit all of our third party promotional material (and ours) for any implicit promotional material. or explicit. bias, as well as the need for diversity and inclusion training for all employees in our head office. This will be implemented urgently, “added Ramsunder.
“Over the past weekend, we have called an extraordinary meeting of the board to agree [on] our next steps. This includes prioritizing our diversity and inclusion training program. We will review your content, expand it, and implement it with more urgency and focus.
We have made a mistake and we sincerely apologize for disappointing you. We recognize that we have a role to play in creating a more diverse and inclusive SA, starting with the content on our website. We know we need to do better and we are committed to ensuring that our content better reflects this value.
– Clicks (@Clicks_SA) September 4, 2020
“As a long-term advocate for natural hair, Clicks has invested heavily in the natural hair market over the past three years. We work with an extensive list of suppliers, over 20, to ensure we have over 40 ranges of natural products for hair care in our stores Since 2005, we have increased the number of natural hair products on the shelves by more than 4,000%.
“As a company, we cannot change what happened, but we are learning from this. We are committed to making real systemic change across our company that reflects our pride in being a truly South African company. We have done a lot in terms of transformation. This topic it has clearly highlighted that we have much more to do, “said Ramsunder.
The closure goes ahead
“We call on all stakeholders to engage with us so that we can correct actions that demonstrate our commitment to diversity and inclusion. We will take the necessary precautionary measures to ensure the safety and well-being of our customers and employees. This includes dealing with the threat of disruption to our business activities and intimidation of our customers and employees, “added Ramsunder.
Dlamini told News24 on Monday morning that the party would continue its protest action at Clicks stores.
The retailer indicated on its Twitter page that it would continue to operate as usual in stores on Monday, despite the planned closure of the EFF.
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