After having their list of demands ignored, the Economic Freedom Fighters have threatened to forcibly shut down all Clicks stores across the country if the store does not announce that it will be shutting down voluntarily.
According to a statement issued on Sunday, “if Clicks does not close, our members in all the branches will shut don all 880 Clicks outlets across the country from Monday 7 September 2020 to Friday, 11 September 2020.”
This comes just two days after the party published a list of demands that hey said must be met by Clicks to avoid a nationwide protest by members of the party.
Last week, the retailer found itself in hot water following adverts published on its website, labelling black hair as “frizzy and dull” and white hair as “normal”.
Let me get my Red EFF Overall ready #clicks it looks like there’s a need for a guerrilla visit #clicksmustfall pic.twitter.com/Z9kGPHyE81
— Obakeng Ramabodu (@RamaboduObakeng) September 4, 2020
The brand was called out for publishing the “racist” advert and has since apologized for the blunder.
Among the demands made by the EFF was a directive Clicks must immediately terminate the contracted company which commissioned the advert.
The EFF’s other demands read as follows:
- We demand that Clicks Publicly list the names of all the Clicks directors and employees who were involved in the commissioning of the said advert.
- That all people who were involved in the commissioning of the advert in question, whether they be employees of Clicks or independent contractors be dismissed with immediate effect.
- Publicly list the name of service providers or contractors who commissioned the advert in question. Publicly list the names of all directors of the company that commissioned the advert.
- That the contracted company which commissioned the advert must have its contract terminated with immediate effect.
- We demand that the above must be executed within the next 24 hours and confirmation be put in writing.
Their demands were responded to in a manner that the party has labelled “condescending,” so they have announced their intention to make good on their threats.
“The economic Freedom Fighters calls for the closure of all Clicks stores in South Africa in light of their unrepentant and perverse racism. Clicks participated in the public dehumanizing of black people through ad advert which presented the hair of black women as “damaged in comparison to white hair which is described as normal, fine, and flat.
“The implications of this are that black identity exists as inferior to the identity of white people. It is an assertion that white standards of beauty are to be aspired to and the features of black people represent damage, decay, and abnormality. This characterization is the founding stone of anti-black racism and the EFF will not tolerate it,” read part of the statement.
#ShutdownClicks https://t.co/OU2UuO3iSI
— Mbuyiseni Ndlozi (@MbuyiseniNdlozi) September 6, 2020
The party has been criticized for putting the jobs of Clicks employees in jeopardy.
Can we get the same energy to start fighting against GBV instead of advocating for more ppl losing their jobs.
— FutureMrs…….🥰 (@Dali53252050) September 6, 2020
That’s foolish Ndlozi. Where are our sister’s and brothers gonna get money to buy food if ever you shutdown Clicks. You need to think before you talk. pic.twitter.com/FpxNd8p8kI
— ZWELY SIYA MP🌄🇿🇦 (@ZWELY_SIYABONGA) September 6, 2020
How would that help, we are already struggling with very high unemployment in this country. What must happen to all those people who work there?
— BigShark🦈 (@sakhi_b1) September 6, 2020
So that our brothers & sisters can lose their jobs?? Why not resort to other measures? i.e heavy fines?
— Dr. MJ. Tsekelo 🦓 (@Tsekelo_mj_MD) September 6, 2020
I want to see where the latter says ” and we the EFF will employ all employees who are currently working at clicks” unless if they don’t care of what is it that those people depending on that will sustain their lives going forward
— son_of_the_soil (@TlouElismus) September 6, 2020
Clicks employs over 15000 people. Be realistic, niyeke ukunya Ndlozi either way we know ur EFF just wants the brown envelope pic.twitter.com/kvjsRPjH7Z
— MHLOKOMI 😎 (@MrProfile2) September 6, 2020
-The Citizen
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