News24 | ‘My intention was not to demean’: Enhle Mbali apologises for k-word hair comments

Enhle Mbali apologised for using an offensive term to describe her hair at a recent event.

• South African actor Enhle Mbali faced backlash for using a racial slur to describe her hair during an event promoting her partnership with a salon franchise.
• Carlton Hair has since paused all promotional content featuring Enhle and launched a review of their partnership guidelines following the incident.
• Enhle apologised publicly via Instagram, expressing regret for offending the community and clarifying that her intention was not to demean anyone, acknowledging the sensitivity of the term.

“Why would she do that?” remarked one social media user in the comments section of a repost of a since-deleted video where South African actor and media personality Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa can be heard saying:

“Listen, it’s the new South Africa and I’m allowed to say this, neh. I’ve got k****r hare. And the black people know exactly what I mean, and the coloured people know exactly what I mean as well,” the actor and fashion designer told attendees at the Hyde Park event hosted to launch her partnership with the long-standing salon franchise Carlton Hair.

She has now apologised for the remarks on her Instagram account.

Fans took to social media to condemn the use of the slur to describe ethnic hair. One distressed user wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter), “As someone with thick 4c hair, not once did I ever think to refer to the texture of my hair as ‘k-word hair’. I wouldn’t dare associate any part of myself with that ugly word. Why would she think it’s an okay thing to say?”

The brand is also being condemned by social media users for reportedly reposting the video showing her making that remark before it was taken down.

In response to the outrage, Carlton Hair told IOL that they had paused all related promotional content featuring Enhle, and were conducting a full review of the partnership guidelines.

She explained how the word had been used in the environment she grew up in.

“We rendered the k-word’s humiliation untrue, therefore it was never owned space. My intention was not to dismiss or demean any community while sharing my personal experiences. With that being said, I fully understand this is not the case for everyone. Once again, my sincerest apology,” she concluded.

Despite the apology, the incident has reignited conversations about the boundaries of reclaiming sensitive terms, even within personal narratives.

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