The South African flag is increasingly decorating labels on garments at major retail chains across the country. It's an effort to bolster the country's clothing and textile sector.
More than half of the textiles sold by South African retailers are imported from abroad, according to the government, and nearly 60% of those imports come from
Retailers signing on to a master plan by the government to support local businesses say there are more benefits than just job creation.
Pick n Pay Clothing is among the retailers such as Woolworth's,
Katekani Moreku, a young designer recruited to aid in the effort," said, "It gave me a lot of attention and gave me a lot of publicity. In the times that we live in when there's a very high rate of unemployment, I think that it will have a very large impact that will create more jobs for all generations."
Moreku estimates his collaboration with
That's what the South African government wants to see, with a target of 121,000 new textile jobs by 2030.
More investment needed
But retailers, including
"Before the 2000s, yes, the skills were readily available," Pillay said. "And as [production] moved to
That growth is necessary as the retailer aims to have 60% of all textile goods sourced locally in the next five years.
But economists warn that setting quotas and targets alone won't be enough to rebuild the industry.
Regular power cuts and decaying railways are impeding local manufacturers from producing and transporting goods.
And there are other practical barriers to closing the
"Keep in mind that they've got economies of scale," Roodt said. "
But for budding designers, even a small boost in the local industry gives hope for success in the future.
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