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By Karen Singh 
13h ago
Durban – The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) gave TRESemmé 24 hours to respond to a letter demanding responsibility for a “racist” hair advertisement posted on Clicks’ online platforms last week.
This follows the protest action reported by the EFF in more than 400 Clicks stores across the country.
Some 92 stores were closed in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape, 51 in the Western Cape, and more than 200 in Gauteng and elsewhere.
The letter, dated September 9, 2020, was written by EFF Secretary General Marshall Dlamini and addressed to TRESemmé CEO Alan Jope.
Dlamini said that after confronting Clicks regarding the commissioning of the ad, they were informed that it was commissioned by TRESemmé.
“In the interest of accountability, we give TRESemmé 24 hours to explain about this racist advertisement.
“If we do not receive a response within 24 hours, we will take the strongest action against TRESemmé, without prior notice.”
He said the ad, which suggested that “white people’s hair is superior to black people’s hair,” caused much public anger and action was taken accordingly.
EFF District 19 President Jackson Dlamini, who was part of the group that shut down Clicks at the Pinecrest Center in Pinetown earlier this week, asked those responsible for the announcement to take action.
“We don’t want Clicks to apologize, we want action. Actions speak louder than words, ”he said.
Clicks closed all stores across the country today.
The health and beauty retailer said it would use the time to interact directly with store personnel across the country and provide advice and support.
In a statement today, the EFF said party leader Julius Malema would lead a delegation and meet with Clicks Group CEO Vikesh Ramsunder and his delegation, at the EFF headquarters in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, tomorrow. .
EFF national spokesperson Vuyani Pambo said the meeting would discuss the announcement and the protest action.
“This meeting occurs at the request of Clicks in what is an attempt to reach an amicable resolution between the EFF and Clicks on matters related to racial discrimination and reasonable steps to ensure that there is responsibility for the offensive advertisement published by clicks”, said.
In a statement today, Clicks said that all stores in South Africa will reopen for commerce tomorrow.
“There are contingency plans to ensure the safety of customers and staff,” the retailer said.
Pambo said the EFF’s peaceful protests would continue tomorrow as planned.
“We encourage all members and ground forces to maintain the highest level of discipline as we continue to uphold the dignity of blacks,” said Pambo.
At least seven Clicks stores were damaged in a protest action this week.
The Mercury reported yesterday that Clicks was unable to estimate the total damage to the stores given the ongoing protest action.
On Sunday, the EFF promised to shut down Clicks stores amid anger over the haircare ad that negatively portrayed natural black hair.
Clicks and TRESemmé apologized for the ad and it was withdrawn.
However, the EFF said the retailer had no regrets and wanted those responsible named and fired for the ad.
The ad, which appeared on the Clicks website, was part of a TRESemmé hair care campaign and labeled natural black hair as “Damaged” and white hair as “Normal”.
Meanwhile, Shoprite / Checkers Group has confirmed that it has terminated its relationship with Unilever’s TRESemmé brand and will phase out the products from its nearly 3,000 stores on the African continent.
In a brief statement to IOL on Wednesday, a Shoprite / Checkers Group spokesperson said: “We can confirm that TRESemmé products have been recalled from sale in our stores.”
The Mercury
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