The country’s cosmetic industry is showing substantial foreign investment in the local black hair care and beauty market, and has a retail value of about R25 billion, the Department of Trade and Industry said on Tuesday.
Department spokesperson Bongani Lukhele said the value of the cosmetic industry had been estimated at R25bn at retail level, and R18bn at the manufacturing level.
The sector is growing between 7 and 10 percent a year.
In 2010, the cosmetic and personal care industry accounted for about two-thirds of the total market.
Exports of products, including hair care and skin care, amounted to R2.8bn of total exports, while imports were worth about R4bn.
This came to light as pupils at Pretoria High School for Girls this week clashed with teachers after being told to straighten their hair.
The school's code of conduct stipulates how pupils should wear their hair, and does not allow for them to embrace it in its natural form.
Research director at the Human Science Research Council, and associate professor of sociology at UCT, Sharlene Swartz, said the school's code of conduct was a throwback to the country’s colonial history and promoted white beauty standards.
Swartz congratulated the pupils and said everyone needed to be in solidarity with the girls.
“It's fantastic that we have 13-year-old girls doing what they are doing. The rules need to be revisited because this still stems from apartheid,” Swartz said.
There are also psychological impacts the rules have on pupils, Swartz said, as this made black pupils feel inferior.
“It's racist. The rules imply that natural black hair is not beautiful. This is ensuring white standards of beauty remain the ideal.”
Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi said he would investigate allegations of racism at the school after pupils were allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and discrimination.
The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation welcomed the intervention by the Gauteng Department of Education at the school.
The foundation's youth co-ordinator, Busisiwe Nkosi, said the incident showed South Africa was not a transformed society and more effort had to be made to tackle institutionalised racism.
The foundation visited the school yesterday, speaking to former and current pupils and several relatives. University students also picketed.
“We were both shocked and outraged at the incidents of racism that we were told took place at the school. It was inspiring to see, though, the manner in which the pupils fearlessly took on the system that discriminated against them.
"It was similarly encouraging to see university students across race and gender lines protesting in support of the schoolgirls,” Nkosi said.
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