A Kraaifontein teen has been left angry and heartbroken after she was turned down for a job over her pink hair.
Shannen Daniels, 19, says she applied for a job at the Cahokia Spur restaurant at Cape Gate Mall but was allegedly told by a manager that she “will never be hired with that hair”.
She sports a short, curly hairdo with the top coloured a bright pink.
“I went to the Spur on Friday to hand in my CV for a casual job. But the manager Maryke told me if I dyed my hair black, then I can come back for a job,” she tells the Daily Voice.
“She said it was their policy for all employees to look neat and tidy. My hair is neat and tidy, it’s just pink.
“I was shocked at the fact that my hair is a problem because all I’m trying to do is make an income for myself seeing that I finished school and I want to be independent.”
She says Maryke even explained the job to her and she thought she had bagged it.
“She wrote the new manager’s name on the back of my CV and said I should come back again, then she said I must change my hair to black if I want to work there.”
Shannen says after the setback she went to the Navaho Spur in Brackenfell, where she was told the same thing.
“The man in charge there, Nigel, told me if he had to colour his hair, he would be chased away from Spur,” she says.
“We asked them to show us the policy and they couldn't show us anything.”
Shannen’s mom Daphne Daniels says: “She was told to first dye her hair black before she can get a job at Spur, as the employees must all have their natural hair colour.”
But Spur denied having a hair policy and told the Daily Voice that they have “cleared things up” with Shannen.
Spur communications manager Moshe Apleni says: “There is definitely no policy against hair colour.
“The franchisee who owns the Spur in Cape Gate has been in touch with the lady concerned and cleared this up.”
Shortly after the Daily Voice called Spur for comment, Shannen received a message from the new manager at Cape Gate Spur, asking if she still wanted the job.
The message read: “Hey Shannen. It's Gracious from the Spur, I'm just doing a follow-up to find out if you’ll perhaps be ready to come to work soon?”
Shannen tells the Daily Voice she turned down the job offer because she loves her pink hair.
“They made it clear if I don’t dye my hair black, I won’t work there. I am keeping my hair colour, they took away my hope and everything. I no longer wanna work there.”
dailyvoice@inl.co.za