L OCA L IS L EK K ER
BUYING LOCAL STIMULATES
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hen South African consumers buy local products, they create demand. Meeting that growing demand opens up job opportunities. Since its establishment 20 years ago, Proudly South African has been an advocate of the buy local movement in the country. “Every local company that produces items for sale in South Africa needs customers who are economically active and able to buy from them,” says Eustace Mashimbye, Proudly South African CEO. Mashimbye suggests that we need South Africans to have more faith in their products, and to trust that locally made goods and services represent value for money and are high-quality. “SA has talent, local supply chains are efficient, have a lower carbon footprint, and are more reliable with faster delivery times than waiting for consignments from overseas. Due to
Eustace Mashimbye
ntrepreneur Lufuno Netshithuthuni of Funo Designs creates unique and innovative modern traditional “takkies” for women who love cultural fashion. “There is a growing need from middle-class women in both rural and urban areas for traditional fashion. Funo Designs advances our African fashion identity and promotes and celebrates colours and prints that represent diverse SA cultures,” she says. However, Netshithuthuni says that for entrepreneurs to succeed, South Africans must embrace local products more, and businesses must always strive to offer value-for-money products.
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MADE IN SA
COVID-19, imported supplies are unpredictable as country borders open and close based on infection rates. “Buying locally mitigates these risks (and that of fluctuating exchange rates), money stays in South Africa, we sustain jobs and create new ones, all while growing the economy,” he says. Larry Hodes, a business coach and facilitator, opened the Gourmet Grocer store in Johannesburg in 2020 to create an outlet for local products. Locals who started their businesses or side hustles as a result of the pandemic, produce most of the supplies. “Any business that supports small local businesses contributes towards sustaining the economy,” says Hodes.
“SA HAS TALENT, LOCAL SUPPLY CHAINS ARE EFFICIENT, HAVE A LOWER CARBON FOOTPRINT, AND ARE MORE RELIABLE WITH FASTER DELIVERY TIMES THAN WAITING FOR CONSIGNMENTS FROM OVERSEAS.” – EUSTACE MASHIMBYE, PROUDLY SOUTH AFRICAN
EMBRACE LOCAL
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Buying local may well be the answer not only to various COVID-19 challenges, but also to stimulating job creation and economic growth, writes DENISE MHLANGA
This year marks Proudly South African’s 20th anniversary. The organisation will roll out numerous new activations, in addition to the annual Buy Local Summit & Expo, to drive the buy local message to a wide audience. Eustace Mashimbye, Proudly South African CEO, says Proudly South African has ongoing conversations with various government bodies to assist them in understanding and adhering to local procurement legislation. “We also speak to businesses on how to leverage local procurement. Additionally, our strong social media presence enables us to speak directly, and in real-time, to consumers.” In 2020, Proudly South African shot a new television commercial with renowned actor, director and playwright Dr John Kani, entitled ‘Game Time Mzansi’. It was flighted across all television channels, reaching millions of viewers. “With the tagline: ‘Our everyday purchasing decisions shape our future’, we wanted to encourage consumers to buy local products, enable job creation and sustain the jobs that we have,” adds Mashimbye.
“Consumers look for quality, not quantity, and people are willing to spend more for locally produced quality,” she says. Proudly South African’s Eustace Mashimbye says when businesses commit to local procurement through their entire supply and value chain, they boost the manufacturing sector. Most entrepreneurs and small businesses find it difficult to access finance and markets to sell their products. “If retailers were to give more shelf space to local products, we would stimulate the creation of more small businesses.” Business coach and facilitator Larry Hodes adds that small businesses need to develop skills like financial management, branding, and sales and marketing to assist them to sell their products. “SA has talent, so what we need is an outlet to showcase this creativity and for more businesses to buy from them,” he concludes. Lufuno Netshithuthuni
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ECONOMIC GROWTH
PROMOTING ‘LOCAL IS LEKKER’ INITIATIVES
