'Buy local' campaigns boost South Africa’s footwear master plan
One of the main focus areas is leather footwear.
The value chain of the Retail, Clothing, Textiles, and Leather Footwear Master Plan is now estimated at R74 billion (£3.6 billion), and the plan is projected to create 212 000 jobs, 120 000 of which will come from the retail sector.
Deputy director of the department Thandi Phele said the projections have been boosted by the Buy Local Campaign which increased the purchase of local brands.
“The media campaigns that we embarked on are aimed at ensuring that we reach the 65% purchase rate of local products. This has been supplemented by our campaign to combat illegal imports. We have since institutionalised our enforcement mechanisms in this regard, we now have a dedicated rapid response team that deals with illegal imports,” she said.
The committee asked the department how the master plans will ensure that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are part of the industrial landscape. The director-general of the department, Lionel October, said: “SMEs are a critical component of these master plans. For instance, the clothing and footwear sector is dominated by these entities.”
