From outrage to a truce: a wrap of Clicks, TRESemmé and EFF shutdown

Unilever will withdraw all TRESemmé products from retail stores nationwide for 10 days.

This, according to the consumer goods company, is to demonstrate its remorse for the offensive campaign it commissioned on Clicks' website.

Here's a wrap of what transpired this week after outrage at the controversial campaign:

The advert 

Clicks came under fire after an advert on its website appeared to demean African hair.

The advert, which has since been removed, showed the hair of a black woman, describing it as being “dry, damaged, frizzy and dull”, while that of a white woman was described as “fine, flat and normal”.

Many expressed their outrage on social media, calling the advert offensive and racist. The retailer later issued an apology.

Commissioned by TRESemmé

Clicks said the advert was not its own and that it was commissioned by the hair company TRESemmé, which also issued an apology on its website, saying the advert was meant to celebrate all hair types.

“We are very sorry that images used in a TRESemmé SA 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 SA 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 the necessary steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

EFF protest

Responding to the advert, the EFF mobilised a nationwide shutdown led by party leaders Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu.

TimesLIVE reported that at least 425 Clicks stores were affected by the shutdown and seven were damaged.

Clicks in Mall of Africa in Midrand, Clicks in Mall of the North in Polokwane, and Clicks in Goodwood Mall in Cape Town were some of the stores the EFF closed.

The Clicks at Saveways Centre in Emalahleni (Witbank) was damaged in a suspected petrol-bombing. A police source told TimesLIVE that there was minimal damage, with just a trolley catching fire.

Arrest and gun incident

TimesLIVE reported that 10 EFF members, including an MP, were arrested. MP Kenny Motsamai was charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

In Port Elizabeth, a woman clashed with EFF protesters at a mall in Walmer Park.

Diane Attwell was caught on video pointing a firearm at EFF members as they exchanged words. It is alleged that Attwell was denied entry into the mall.

On Wednesday, the EFF opened a criminal case against Attwell and she appeared in court on Thursday morning.

The case was postponed to November 6 for further investigation.

Shutdown repercussions

Clicks said it would delist and remove TRESemmé products from its shelves and replace them with locally sourced hair care products.

An unidentified senior executive at Clicks resigned in the wake of the protests.

The retailer's CEO Vikesh Ramsunder said all staff responsible for publishing the advert had been suspended.

Ramsunder told CapeTalk that the digital team which approved the content for the advert included two black employees, two white employees and a coloured manager.

Coming to an agreement

After almost a week's protest, Unilever met Malema and Clicks on Thursday and took the decision to remove all TRESemmé products in stores. Large retailers such as Shoprite, Checkers and Pick n Pay agreed to pull TRESemmé products from their shelves after the racist advert by the brand.

Woolworths, Dis-Chem, and Makro followed suit. However, it is unclear if the hair brand's products will be back on shelves at the three stores after 10 days.

Dis-Chem said its decision to remove TRESemmé products was taken on Tuesday.

In addition, Unilever will donate a minimum of 10,000 sanitary towels and sanitisers to informal settlements identified by the EFF.

The party and the company could not agree on the publishing of the names of people responsible for the campaign.

Subscribe: iono.fm | Spotify | Apple Podcast | Pocket Casts | Player.fm

PODCAST | The politics of natural hair & the DA's new redress policy