ANCYL Crisis Committee calls for TRESemmé products boycott, condemns EFF violence during Clicks hair protest

EFF members protest outside Clicks store in Menlyn Mall against a racist advert on the company’s website. Picture: Thobile Mathonsi/African News Agency (ANA)

EFF members protest outside Clicks store in Menlyn Mall against a racist advert on the company’s website. Picture: Thobile Mathonsi/African News Agency (ANA)

Published Sep 8, 2020

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Johannesburg - The ANC Youth League’s Crisis Committee has called on South Africans to boycott TRESemmé products after a racially offensive advert was published by the company last week on the Clicks website.

The ANCYL Crisis Committee is a body made up of young people who are opposed to the league’s task team headed up by ‘elders’ after the Collen Maine led youth league was dismantled last year in July.

The advert, which described black women’s hair as frizzy, dull, dry and damaged, has sparked outrage and widespread condemnation and resulted in the closure of more than 445 stores by the end of Monday night after the EFF staged protests around the country.

The ANCYL Crisis Committee, in a statement signed by Luzuko Bashman, Katlego Mamabolo and Nompumelelo Mpata, said they condemned the advert and have called on the advertising industry to be taken to task on its portrayal of black women in their media.

“We further call for an economic boycott of all TRESemmé hair products which was the product line responsible for the advert.

“We also demand that all retail stores in the country remove TRESemmé hair products from their shelves until those responsible are held accountable.

“As we mark 26 years of our democracy, we must confront any remnants of racial superiority and discrimination whenever it seeks to undermine our democratic project and our pursuit to build a non-racial South Africa,” said the ANCYL Crisis Committee.

The ANCYL Crisis Committee also condemned the EFF for acts of violence which were reported at several stores like Witbank and Alberton, where attempts to set the store on fire were reportedly made.

“We equally condemn the violent actions by the

EFF of vandalizing and burning down Clicks stores across the country.

“The actions by the EFF are nothing more than a display of a populist stance, with no meaningful solutions that will forge a non-racial and inclusive society envisioned by the ANC.

“The EFF must be held accountable for their violent actions as the perpetuation of such breeds a lawless society,” the ANCYL said.

The ANCYL Crisis Committee also hit out at the ANCYL National Task Team, which is headed up by Thandi Mahambehlala - describing it as the “eldership”.

“The demise of the ANCYL, which is currently occupied by the eldership in the NTT and structures that are in need of revival nationwide, exposes itself in such instances where they are nowhere to be found in such struggles because the eldership lacks the agility, energy and vibrancy in taking up people's struggles, particularly those of young people in South Africa.

“Nature abhors a vacuum. In the absence of a credible youth leadership, we will take it upon ourselves to call on the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to investigate the racial violations caused by not only Clicks as the retail store responsible but also the Unilever Group to ensure they are held accountable for their unacceptable actions,” they said.

Meanwhile, the EFF was expected to continue demonstrating at Clicks stores on Tuesday, while Clicks stores were expected to remain open where it was safe to do so.

A spokesperson for Clicks said they condemned violence and vandalism at their stores.

"All incidents of criminal behaviour are being reported to the authorities. Clicks is working with SAPS to ensure the safety of staff, customers and members of the public," the spokesperson said.

"Clicks is unable to estimate the total damage to stores given the ongoing protest action. Clicks provides a much-needed healthcare service to South Africans and will continue to trade.

“Clicks has taken full accountability and apologised unreservedly for the advertisement published on its website and is committed to effecting real change across the business. Clicks continues to monitor the situation," the company's spokesperson added.

Meanwhile, TRESemmé and Unilever South Africa issued an apology but are yet to explain what they intended to convey with the advert and how things went wrong.

“We are very sorry that images used in a TRESemmé South Africa marketing campaign on the Clicks website promote racist stereotypes about hair.

“The campaign set out to celebrate the beauty of all hair types and the range of solutions that TRESemmé offers, but we got it wrong. The images are not in line with the values of our brand, or of Clicks.

“TRESemmé South Africa apologises for the offence these images have caused. We also apologise to the Clicks group.

“We are looking into how this happened and why it wasn’t picked up, and we will take all necessary steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” said TRESemme.

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