President Cyril Ramaphosa used part of his Heritage Day address to tackle racism in South Africa.
Ramaphosa says the controversial Clicks advert shows that South Africa still has a long way to go to address many of the complicated issues of our history.
The president has urged businesses and the media to be considerate of the country’s past.
“An offensive hair advertisement that was recently published shows that we still have a long way to go,” Ramaphosa said.
“The apartheid government denigrated our cultures and tried to make us ashamed of our cultures, our traditions, our languages and our very appearances.”
“It is disheartening to see that in democratic South Africa, there are still crude stereotypes of black women put on public display.”
“The social cohesion we seek in this country means we must be mindful of the legacy of our past, whether we are businesses selling products, whether we are producers of content for television, or otherwise. Building a united nation means we must be aware of and check our own acts of racism and prejudice continuously.
“We come from a history of prejudice and exclusion, and since democracy, we have worked to transform the heritage landscape of our country.”