White racism is a harmful conditioner

Is hair political? Chirstine Qunta suggests that it is in her new book 'Why We Are Not a Nation'

Although institutionalised racism remains intact in South Africa, it would be completely unthinkable for any company, either explicitly or implicitly, to prohibit African women from wearing their hair naturally, as is the case in the US.

The fact that so many senior women in the corporate world wear their hair in natural styles is testament to this. On television and in politics, African women mostly wear their hair naturally, in cornrows, locks or Afros.

Similarly, most prominent female musicians such as Sibongile Khumalo, Judith Sephuma, Simphiwe Dana, Thandiswa Mazwai and Lira display their natural hair proudly.

And yet, as in Europe and the US, and despite democracy having dawned in South Africa, African features and hair are disdained by white South Africans.

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An almost complete control of the economy by whites - including the fashion and magazine industries - makes imposition of a singular model of beauty fairly easy and ubiquitous.

Let us look at a variety of both crude and subtle examples of white supremacy in South Africa, as it pertains to standards of beauty.

On November 14 2013, a certain Dr Annemarie Horn, the white principal of Wordsworth High School in Benoni, called two female African students from Grades 10 and 11 out during school assembly to complain about their hair. She told them she did not have a problem with white and Indian students because she knew they washed their hair daily, but stated to everyone in the school assembly African girls only wash their hair once a month and that that is the same as washing one's body only once a month.

The story was carried by the Benoni City Times, which recorded one of the girls as saying that the principal also called them "fat". The students said they felt humiliated and insulted. One struggled to hold back her tears and the other cried "uncontrollably" during the interview.

To add insult to injury, the day after that assembly, the principal forced African girls who had chemically straightened hair to wash it with dishwashing liquid in the girls' bathroom. The principal and another teacher dried the girls' hair and made them sit in the sun to dry it completely.

One of the girls' parents complained to the department of education, which launched an investigation. As revealing of the racist nature of the principal's actions were comments on the Facebook page of the Benoni City Times, many from white former students of the school. They sought to discount the racial insults meted out to the girls and viewed the incident as a simple question of hygiene instead.

"Don't know the teacher and her remarks. But I went to public school and the same rules applied. Once a month assembly checks, hair nails, uniform etc. It made us better adults most def. Hygiene is something all women should take pride in, it has nothing to do with the colour of ur skin."

Ironically, the author of the comment has "I am against animal cruelty" in large font on her own Facebook page. Presumably she doesn't feel the same way about cruelty to humans.

After a three-month investigation, the Gauteng department of education suspended the principal and charged her with misconduct. She was found guilty after the disciplinary hearing and dismissed in July 2014.

One of South Africa's prime-time and longest-running TV lifestyle shows is Top Billing on SABC3.

It showcases all that is upmarket about South Africa, with unashamedly glamorous presenters who are both attractive and expressive. I used to watch it as often as I could, certainly enough to form an opinion.

As a relief from the inevitable doom and gloom of daily news, it was a welcome celebration of success in a democratic South Africa.

The company producing the show is partly owned by prominent businesswoman Basetsana Kumalo, who was Miss South Africa in 1994. Basetsana is smart, confident, successful and beautiful and one of the women I admire.

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She was one of the presenters when the show began. After she retired as presenter there were several years when the show had no African presenter at all. When they did feature any for a brief stint, they all wore faux hair on their heads.

As the situation stands, at the beginning of 2016, no African female presenter of Top Billing has been allowed to wear her own hair.

I use the word "allowed" very deliberately, because a subtle and not-so-subtle pressure is still exerted in television by stylists and marketing people.

Yet on all SABC platforms there are many soapies in which African women do wear their own hair - which is precisely why Top Billing is such a stark departure.

When I saw online pictures of the 2014 Miss South Africa finalists, all the African women were wearing someone else's hair on their heads. Women's magazines, supposedly targeted at audiences of all races, rarely have African women on their covers.

When they do - with the exception of Lira, who has a short Afro - they are invariably wearing faux hair, either a wig or hideous weaves.

Like their overseas counterparts, the whites who own and edit these magazines probably believe that white women don't buy magazines with African women on the cover.

This means they're aware that African women buy their magazines, but still expect them to accept white women on their covers most of the time but not the reverse.

This practice is the reason I decided, two years ago, not to buy these magazines, which I had sometimes bought as light relief from legal and other serious reading.

Qunta is a lawyer and writer and the CEO of Pholosang BEE Resolution Services

This is an edited extract from her book "Why We Are Not A Nation", Seriti Sa Sechaba Publishers (R249)