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TAKING ‘PROUDLY SA’ FROM CAMPAIGN TO MASS MOVEMENT
KEEP IT LOCAL
President Cyril Ramaphosa wants to take Proudly South African from campaign to mass movement as herein lies one of the key factors to the nation’s ultimate economic recovery. By RODNEY WEIDEMANN
Delivering the keynote address at the Proudly South African Summit and Expo 2021, President Cyril Ramaphosa pointed out that in celebrating 20 years of Proudly South African, we must not only recall what it has achieved, but also remember why it remains important.
“Companies with long histories and deep footprints in the domestic market have been badly affected by the pandemic. This has worsened the effects of several years of diffi cult economic conditions, preferences for cheaper, imported goods and – in some cases – changing consumer patterns. Many companies have had to downscale, and others have been forced to close. Given the global economic climate, we can anticipate decreased demand for our goods, products and services, even from our traditional export markets,” Ramaphosa said.
“It is not enough to simply preach the ‘buy local’ message – we also need to practise it. We need to demonstrate that buying local is about investing in quality, sustaining local businesses, and keeping jobs at home.”
Ramaphosa explained that it is vital to step up efforts not just to get SA consumers to buy local, but also to improve the entry of SA goods, products and services into export markets. This is one way to help save existing jobs and stimulate the economy, enabling further job creation.
LOCAL PRODUCTION NEEDS TO INCREASE
“From our side, there is an express undertaking to increase local procurement over the next fi ve years. Apart from its own procurement commitments, government will also work to lower the barriers to entry, thereby making it easier to establish and grow a business in South Africa. Furthermore, in support of existing manufacturers, we will be enforcing measures to stop the illegal importation of goods, which weakens our local market.”
He pointed out that he already spoke in his State of the Nation Address about increasing local production and reducing dependence on imported goods; bringing more SMEs into the formal economy by introducing small business local procurement thresholds for the public sector; and working to identify localisation champions, who will help drive import replacement programmes across various industries and for specifi c projects.
“Another element of our Recovery Plan – the infrastructure build programme – has massive potential for job creation and local business development. If local procurement is to be at the scale and impact we envisage, we have to deepen our collaboration.
“We have designated 27 sectors for local procurement by the public sector. Proudly South African is playing an important role in monitoring compliance with these designations. The sectoral master plans – aimed at ensuring the respective value chains are localised for the benefi t of the economy and job creation – that have been concluded are paying off.” These master plans relate to the automotive industry, clothing, textiles, footwear and leather sector, the poultry market, and the sugar industry. Other master plans in their fi nal stages are for the furniture and plastics industries. “We ask every South African citizen to make a conscious decision to buy local goods. Wear local, travel local, eat local, watch local content, read local authors, support local music, and use local raw materials in your businesses. Proudly South African must move beyond being President Cyril Ramaphosa a campaign; it must become a mass movement that all our people are keen to embrace and actively support. “Whether public or private, we need to appreciate that choosing to procure locally, through and across value chains, is a solid investment in our country’s recovery. It will grow our economy, create jobs, broaden markets and create numerous opportunities for business expansion,” the president concluded.
practise it.” – PRESIDENT CYRIL RAMAPHOSA
South African must move beyond being a campaign; it must become a mass embrace and actively support. to appreciate that choosing to procure locally, through and across value chains, is a solid investment in our country’s recovery. It will grow our economy, create
