JOHANNESBURG – Buying locally manufactured goods is one of the initiatives that will help South Africa stimulate employment.
President Cyril Ramaphosa told the inaugural jobs summit in Midrand Johannesburg that government, labour, communities, and business, boosting local procurement was part of a framework agreement signed today.
Ramaphosa said for the economy to grow and for jobs to be created, it is essential that there is a substantial increase in domestic demand.
This means that South African companies, government and consumers must buy local.
“If we do not buy the food that comes out of South African soil, there will be no farms and no farmworkers. If we do not buy the goods made by South African hands, there will be no factories and no workers,”he said.
He said the government had undertaken to simplify and speed up the process for the designation of products for local procurement, and organised labour, in partnership with Proudly SA, would proactively identify opportunities for new designations.
“As part of this agreement, a number of companies have made specific commitments to local procurement initiatives as part of their operational strategies,”he said.
These include companies such as Adcock Ingram, Anglogold Ashanti, Clientele, Coca Cola SA, Edcon, First Rand, Lixil, Mondi, Nandos, Nestle, AB InBev, Sappi, Sasol, Standard Bank and Tsogo Sun.