South Africa's largest retailer said they have stopped
selling TRESemmé products after widespread protests over a controversial
advertisement featuring black hair.
Retailers including Pick N Pay, Woolworths and Dischem say
they have removed TRESemmé products from their shelves, as did Clicks, the
retailer who originally posted the ad.
"Given the recent concern about the language TRESemmé
uses to advertise its product line, we have decided to remove products from our
shelves while we're dealing with the supplier," a Pick n Pay spokesperson
told CNN.
Two ads, one showing a black woman's hair and describing it
as "curly and dull," and the other showing blonde hair, describing it
as "smooth and flat" and "natural" led to protests at
Clicks retailer.
The chain of pharmacies was forced to close on Wednesday in
response to protests led by the opposition party of fighters for economic
freedom. They used social media to denounce these ads as "racist" and
"inhuman".
Unilever, the multinational consumer goods company, has
admitted that the ad promotes racial stereotypes.
Unilever said in a joint statement with the EFF on Thursday
that the campaign co-manager has left the company and the country since then.
The Anglo-Dutch company promised an internal investigation and said it would
take necessary disciplinary action if necessary.
Unilever will withdraw all TRESemmé SA products from retail
stores for a period of 10 days "as evidence of its remorse for the
offensive and racist image". It promised to donate 10,000 sanitary pads
and disinfectant to informal settlements.
Clicks said in a joint statement with the EFF on Thursday
that it will withdraw all TRESemmé SA products from its stores and replace them
with local hair care brands.
The company will also donate 50,000 sanitary pads and 50,000
disinfectants and masks to rural settlements. The pharmacy chain said it will
award five pharmacy scholarships to black and female students orphaned by HIV
and AIDS.
The EFF ended its five-day protests at Clicks stores,
targeting 425 out of around 720, allowing them to resume normal operations.
EFF leader Julius Selo Malema said in a tweet: “Fighters and
Commissars, we must give revolutionary gratitude for your bold, fair and
disciplined defeat of #ClicksRacism.”
"The pessimists have swallowed their forked tongues in
utter disappointment. Proud of all your efforts to restore the dignity of a
black child. Greetings!"
In 2018, the EFF also led protests at the Swedish retail
giant H&M in South Africa over an online advertisement that featured a
black boy wearing a "coolest monkey in the jungle" sweatshirt.
H&M has apologized for the ad and has withdrawn the
product from its stores worldwide.
CNN's Brent Swales and Harry Clark Ezidio contributed to
this report
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