Durban - While Cabinet has welcomed the reformative steps taken by retail giant, Clicks, to address a haircare advert that led to protests around the country, it has reminded South Africans that protests should not seek to infringe on the rights of others.
Speaking during a virtual meeting on Thursday, Cabinet said South Africans have the right to speak out against any injustice without fear or reprisal as enshrined in the Constitution.
"However, the right to protest comes with the inherent responsibility to do so peacefully and without infringing on the rights of others. Government condemns the acts of vandalism at Clicks stores. Such unlawful acts undermine the spirit of human rights that has shaped this country since the dawn of democracy," Cabinet said in a statement issued on Thursday.
It said that the corrective action taken by Clicks, which include their commitment to working with government to promote local hair products in all their stores and to collaborate with all their suppliers to promote the constitutional values as enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa of 1996. They will also put in place a diversity and inclusion training programme for all their managers and staff.
"Black hair has been the subject of intense politicisation and a source of unjust discrimination in our recent history. Our nation’s history is littered with laws and societal norms that equated ‘blackness’ and the associated physical traits – for example, dark skin, kinky and curly hair – to a badge of inferiority," the statement read.
Cabinet called on the advertising agencies of Clicks and other stores to also adopt tangible programmes which promote and protect human rights, and raise awareness about despicable issues of racism, inequality and discrimination.
"All sectors of our society must endorse partnerships between government departments and Chapter Nine institutions in implementing anti-racism and anti-discrimination educational campaigns," Cabinet said.
It said South Africa was working towards growing the economy and cannot afford to risk the loss of jobs due to business closures.
“Lawlessness and vandalism of private and public property should not be condoned as they are not a responsible and progressive option to resolve a conflict,” Cabinet said.
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