Sustained localisation focus welcomed

Source: Getty

Proudly South African is a government initiative that seeks to influence local procurement in the public and private sectors, to increase local production and to influence consumers to buy local in order to stimulate job creation.

In 2019, Proudly SA appealed to the president to fly the flag by wearing local during his speech, a challenge he accepted. He described his suit, shirt and tie and that he had indeed chosen his wardrobe from local clothing manufacturers. On Thursday, 10 February he once more endorsed local by sporting a suit from Foschini and shoes made by members of the National Union of Leather & Allied Workers.

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Import reduction

“The Foschini Group is a member of the Proudly SA buy local movement and a company of which we are immensely proud. They have reduced their imports to only 28% of their stock, sourcing 72% of their product locally (including suits fit for a president) and aim to produce 30 million pieces of clothing locally in the next four years,” said Proudly SA CEO, Eustace Mashimbye.

“Shoe manufacturing is something we have in the past struggled with in this country, but is now a sector in which companies such as those mentioned by the President, namely Bolton Footwear in Cape Town and Dick Whittington out of Pietermaritzburg, are leading the way in quality,” he added.

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In 2009 South Africans collectively bought 260 million pairs of shoes, of which we produced only 18 million locally. Between April 2017 and March 2018, we imported R3.3bn worth of shoes. Thanks to ongoing DTIC-led industry efforts to save the sector, 2009’s 18 million pairs produced rose in 2017 to 75 million with an ambitious target of 100 million pairs over the next few years.

"Let’s not end our localisation conversation now that the SONA speech has been delivered and discussed. Don’t let the President be the only citizen to make a concerted effort to wear local. Every single one of us as consumers, can eat, drink, wear, drive, consume and use everyday items that are made locally," Proudly SA said.