Many efforts have been made to concentrate production of personal protective equipment (PPE) to boost the retail, clothing, textile, footwear and leather (R-CTFL) sectors in light of the devastating effects of the COVID-19, South African deputy minister of trade, industry and competition Fikile Majola recently told parliament’s select committee on trade and industry, economic development, small business development, tourism, employment and labour.
“The government is committed to reviving the sector as it focuses on rebuilding manufacturing and to enable it to expand its capacity. We also are working towards significantly reducing illegal imports to eliminate unfair competition against local retailers and manufacturers,” he said.
The R-CTFL value chain’s total gross domestic product contribution is R74 billion, while its employment contribution is more than 210 000. The R-CTFL Master Plan was signed in November 2019 with seven commitments. These include growing the domestic market, driving domestic sourcing, ending illegal imports and value chain transformation.
During this period of the pandemic specific focus has been placed on intensifying support for products such as surgical and consumer masks, respirators, medical textiles, leather and footwear products, gloves and body bags. The support given includes ensuring adherence to procurement regulations and issuing of timely orders, matching of demand and supply, sourcing and ensuring availability of raw material in South Africa.
