The Clicks national shutdown came to a premature end on Thursday.
According to the EFF national political commissar, Dr. Ndlozi, he stated that, "the Clicks protest was a 10 year revolution fought and won in 4 days."
Its a fair point. If it was a 4 One Day International (ODI) cricket series, then Team EFF would have won by a 4 nil-whitewash defeat on home soil with home advantage.
Perhaps Dr. Ndlozi was right. The nearest and the lowest court proved to be just too far away for Clicks. I mean who would challenge the constitutional right to protest in South Africa? I doubt the business advisors for Clicks would have allowed the company to face off with the EFF cabal in a court of law over a misguided advertisement.
Clicks was just unfortunate to become an example. I know there are other companies with marketing divisions and public relations officers that are misplaced. It's only a matter of time before their time bombs explode, watch the markets.
Time will always be the best story teller, it's only a matter of time.
So after serious consultations with key stakeholders Clicks realized that, a counter-attack could be disastrous. They had to control the damage instead.
After all, the advert was wrong, it was their fault. We expected Clicks had to be held accountable, to show 'remorse' and they did in the form of donations of 50 000 sanitizers, sanitary pads, masks and awarding scholarships to 5 'black' female students to pursue studies in pharmaceutical research.
Truth be told, an academic scholarship is a lifetime opportunity. Thumbs up to a four day protest, 5 black girls are going to university, just like that. Most likely their research will be premised on experiments of different chemicals that can be used to treat black hair, maybe!
The other set of donations was well calculated. Clicks already has sanitizers, sanitary pads and masks in its 670 retail outlets across South Africa and more at their warehouse.
Yes 50 000 sounds like a big number on paper but here is the catch; when the advert dust finally settles, Clicks will probably review the prices of these products to finance the donation.
There is no free lunch in Africa
Let me try and break my case for you, let us assume the price of a pack of sanitary pads is currently R30 in a Clicks store, Clicks is likely to revise the price upwards to just R35. At first glance the R5 difference might not sound significant on paper, but trust me, it will serve its purpose in the long term. My business partner calls this defense psychology.
The damage we control, we compensate
Generations upon generations of girls to come will always buy the product. Every R5 will pay for the 50 000 sanitary pads donated. So basically, South Africans are the ones going to pay for the donated masks, sanitizers and sanitary pads.
Well, those are the dynamics of white minority capital. Clicks was established in 1968 by Jack Goldin to make money, that's the art of investments, high risks, high returns, simple!
We have seen a similar investment culture in Zimbabwe where a certain company donates ventilators and few days later the company hikes its tariffs. Investors are on this planet to make money, nothing more, nothing less.
Nevertheless, the scholarships will get the Clicks Board thinking on their budget. At Stellenbosch University they expect a student to part away with R34, 503 per year for a medical and health science degree.
If the 5 girls enrol at the third ranked university, Clicks will have to pay a staggering R172,515 per year for the next four to five years that's if the fee structure remains the same.
I now understand why Dr. Ndlozi called it a successful revolution. The academic revolution for black women empowerment has reached a new level.
Dr. Ndlozi in red with fellow fighters
The delisting of TRESemmè brand and the promotion of locally produced haircare products is a clever move. How ever, "locally produced" does not mean black manufacturers are in for a treat.
Now, as a follow up to my previous article, has the EFF clicked racism away? Safe to say, racial inequality is not fought and won in a day, it must be fought daily. The war against racism is not yet over, the freedom fighters just won a battle, salute!.
The science laboratories will soon be racially balanced when the 5 black girls start attending lecturers.
...We wish them all the best !
