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#RespekTheDoek sparks debate over ‘appropriate’ work attire

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According to the eNCA website, a decision was made to remove Nontobeko Sibisi’s Africa Day story from the channel after she wore a doek (headscarf) on air.

An email circulated about the incident and then leaked, says IOL, sparking a nationwide discussion on social media and culminating in the #RespekTheDoek hashtag where many Twitter users, celebrities and some media outlets, showed their support for Nontobeko.

eNCA Editor-In-Chief Anton Harber said in an article that there will be a necessary discussion held about what is appropriate for reporters and news anchors to wear on camera. "eNCA has a fairly conventional policy on what presenters and reporters may wear on-air, and it is not very different from those of most other television channels. But there are concerns among our staff that this policy needs to be reviewed and updated." Harber also said that there is an internal process to make sure that their policies are in line with the company's “corporate and national values, and that it embraces the diversity of our staff and audience."

As the workplace in South Africa continues to attract people from different backgrounds, sensitivity and tolerance for each other's culture becomes more of an issue. 

Doeks have been around for ages. All my life I have been surrounded by women in doeks. My mother, my aunts, my grandmother, women in my neighborhood wore doeks, and I also wear them occasionally. I mean, what must happen when I’m having a bad hair day? Doek.

As a Xhosa woman, if you get married you wear a doek as a sign to other men that you are taken and no longer available. The doek is a part of many African cultures, it has a significant history, with a symbolic importance in African culture. Many women wear doeks as an expression of their heritage.

In a video on their website, eNCA News Director, Mapi Mhlangu, says the issue of the doek is merely a symptom of a larger call for change. “We at eNCA are committed to continuing the necessary work towards effecting positive change not only inside our organisation, but as a broadcaster in the light of South African society,” she said. Later in the video she adds: “This is not an issue that will be resolved by quick technical intervention. Consultative processes between employees and managers are underway, dealing with this amongst many questions facing journalists and media professionals every day, and we are working towards making sure South Africans see progressive values reflected in their broadcast news.”

As much as we have rules of appearance in the workplace, which can be limited in certain remarkable instances, freedom of expression is a fundamental one (well, at least should be), and who gets to decide what is appropriate or not?

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