“Greater effort has been directed at localisation of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to boost the Retail Clothing, Textile, Footwear and Leather (R-CTFL) industry in light of the devastating effects of Covid-19 in the sector,” according to the Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (Dtic) Fikile Majola.
He said the sector had been identified as critical in driving the economy of the country.
“Government is committed to reviving the sector as it focuses on rebuilding manufacturing and expanding its capacity. We are also working towards significantly reducing illegal imports to eliminate unfair competition against local retailers and manufacturers,” he said.
The R-CTFL value chain was a major contributor to the South African economy, with CTFL retail playing a much larger role than the manufacturing portion of the value chain, he added. “The value chain’s total Gross Domestic Product contribution is R74 billion, while its employment contribution is more than 210 000.”
Majola said that the pandemic had shifted the focus of the industry.
“The focus over the past few months has been on intensifying support for products such as surgical and consumer masks, respirators, medical textiles, leather and footwear products, gloves and body bags.”
