Battle for hair and beauty industry gains traction

Carlo Viljoen is an advocate whose name has become synonymous with the plight of South Africa’s hair and beauty industries during lockdown.

Health and beauty practitioners from across South Africa are holding their collective breath as negotiations proceed between the Health & Beauty Industry Support Foundation (HBIS) and government representatives.

Advocate Carlo Viljoen, a legal practitioner whose name has become synonymous with the plight of South Africa’s hair industry during lockdown, will now also fight for the beauty industry in general.

He updated social media users on the latest step in his crusade against the ban on service delivery that affects hairdressers and others in the beauty industry.

Viljoen recently launched legal proceedings against the government’s ban on hairdressers and salons.

He did so in his own capacity after learning of the hardships they face.

In court, it was recorded that many hairdressers were single mothers living on limited means.

Without an income, they would not be able to provide for themselves and their families much longer. The cost of the ban, he said, would amount to R250-billion per year. Viljoen held that lockdown regulations should not limit the fundamental right to earn a living unjustifiably.

His attempt was unsuccessful as he had cited the wrong government department in his court documents.

However, Viljoen believes that, based on merit, he should be able to win the case on behalf of thousands of hairdressers and salons facing the same predicament.

CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW FOR ADV VILJOEN’S VIDEO UPDATE:

He stated that he would head to court again.

The HBIS has since contacted Viljoen and instructed him to bring a new court application.

Meanwhile Viljoen, the HBIS and government have apparently entered into negotiations that may result in relief for the industry. If the negotiations bear no fruit, Viljoen will proceed to tackle this issue in court again.

Social media users have been singing Viljoen’s praises online and expressed their thanks towards the man who was willing to represent the entire industry in his personal capacity.

This is a developing story and Caxton Local Media will keep readers informed of any future developments.

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