‘Racist’ ad outrage in South Africa: hair of white person is normal, black is dull
- Racist advertising controversy hits South Africa’s biggest pharmacy chain
- Company apologises, suspends employees after hair ad triggers outrage
Protests forced more than 400 stores of South Africa’s biggest pharmacy chain to close on Monday after a controversial “racist” hair advertisement provoked widespread outrage.
Dozens of activists from South Africa’s radical leftwing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party picketed outside Clicks Pharmacy stores across the country, forcing them to shut over the adverts posted on the company’s website which described black hair as “dull” and white hair as “normal”.
South Africa’s leading pharmacy, health and beauty retailer, which boasts more than 500 branches across the country, has apologised and pulled down the advertisements.
It suspended the “negligent employees” held responsible and removed the ad, the Cape Town-based retailer said. TRESemme, a shampoo maker owned by Dutch consumer-products giant Unilever NV, also issued an apology.
Clicks said that protests were reported at 425 of its stores, some of which were vandalised, and it was “unable to estimate the total damage to stores given the ongoing protest action.”