BMF CONDEMS RACIST CLICKS ADVERT AS VIOLATION OF THE HUMANITY OF BLACK PEOPLE

8 September 2020

At a time when the world is consciously engaging racists, racism and other sponsors and forms of discrimination, the BMF, too, has noted the waves of criticism against the prevalence of racism across various organisations in South Africa. The saga that involves pharmacy, health and beauty retailer - Clicks, is one that has caused much emotion. As the BMF, we have a social and moral obligation to address this matter, as we hereby do. 

Clicks’ publication of a TRESemmé hair product campaign on its website last week, which portrayed black natural hair as ‘dry, damaged, and frizzy’, while white natural hair was depicted as ‘normal’, confirms much of the racial undertones by which our society continues to be divided. In this case, the terrain is corporate South Africa, but the effect is widespread and felt.

That a corporate of the size of Clicks would pass this campaign off to its consumers, a majority of whom are black is a clear indication of the disdain by which Clicks treats its profit base. Further, it may exhibit a lack of transformation (in demographic and in thought) in the marketing and advertising spaces of the organisation. As unfortunate is that this exhibition is consistent with the general trend in corporate South Africa, although it should be stated that there are wonderful exceptions to this. Endorsing TRESemmé’s blatantly blunt, insensitive and racist hair product campaign continues to perpetuate the negative prejudices against black people which are held by White people on the basis of their false supremacy. 

It is terribly disappointing that Clicks allowed such racist, insensitive, and offensive images to be published on their website. The apologies advanced by Clicks, TRESemmé and Unilever South Africa are meagre in addressing the deeper problem at hand. The hurt and anger caused towards Black and African people through this advert is palpable and effective measures need to be adopted to ensure that something of kind can never happen in the name of a responsible and responsive corporate citizen of South Africa. 

Such an incident, and many others akin to it, lies in management teams who lack diversity and inclusion. As a result, there is a shortage of cultural awareness and sensitivity. It is these shortcomings that manifest in an inability to connect with a diversity of the customer base that South Africans are. 

The Clicks Group 2019 Annual Report shows Africans comprising the highest number of employees at the semi-skilled and skilled occupational levels. Worryingly, in the higher levels of the organisational organogram, White people comprise the highest number of employees at senior and top management occupational levels. This is inconsistent with the make-up of our national demographics and it betrays the constitutional obligations imposed on businesses to transform and be reflective of the nation’s people. 

The Clicks Group level 6 B-BBEE status signals a worry that significant gains still need to be made across most of the B-BBEE indicators, especially when it comes to ownership and its enterprise and supplier development. Therefore, the transformation project, especially in slowly transforming industries such as the retail pharmacy industry, remains imperative and needs to be strengthened. And the time for Clicks to engage that transformation is now. 

As the BMF, we call upon Clicks; its leadership; the team behind the campaign in question; and all other retail companies in the greater economy to urgently address these issues within their organizations so as to prevent a repeat of the debacle. Racism is a gaudy stain on the nation-building project of this country and too often has been dealt with kid gloves. If companies are serious about addressing systemic racism, they should earnestly strive to create a more robust, inclusive and diverse workforce across all occupational levels - especially in senior and top management. An even distribution of our diversity is non-negotiable for the collective advancing of our society”. 

The campaign has also caused uproar with political parties – as the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF). The EFF confirms that its standing for black pride. This position is admirable and warranted of public officials, who carry a people’s mandate. We stand firm behind the position that organisations be extension of the constituencies; in this case Clicks should behave in a manner that is consistent with, and respectful of, the people who sustain its profit. Unless and until there is a genuine display of addressing the concerns raised herein, the BMF implores patriotic South Africans who are offended by this campaign to refrain from purchasing from Clicks stores. It is only in this way that the leadership of Clicks will revisit their lacklustre apology with meaningful redress. 

Given the history of South Africa, transformation continues to be a contested and emotive terrain. Oftentimes companies half-heartedly comply, not because they believe it is an important, but because they are ticking a box in a long checklist. There is an entrenched belief especially amongst minorities who hold unsustainable views that redress is a form of reverse racism. Whist penalties for non-compliance have a role to play, it is more important to approach transformation as a moral imperative. This is part of nation building towards a fair and equitable society. 

Statement issued by BMF, 8 September 2020