What's the big deal about this ‘hair thing’?

Why is “this hair thing” such a big deal? Speaking on Radio 702‚ show host Eusebius McKaiser gently schooled a caller about the importance of understanding the politics of black women's hair‚ following allegations of racist practices at Pretoria Girls High School. A woman who identified herself by the name Elzette‚ called into the show and suggested that the students “are too sensitive” stating that they should just “tidy their hair up a bit” and make sure that it is “relatively clean”.