Company Announcement - The South African manufacturing and textile industries hold huge potential for creating jobs that will be sustainable in the long-term, as well as significantly contribute to growth of the country’s economy. In recognition of this, the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti), introduced the New Growth Path Local Procurement Accord in 2011 which specifically targets the textile industry as a key area for significant numbers of jobs. The LPA aims to mobilise the private sector, organised labour, communities and government in a strong partnership to promote local procurement in SA as a platform for creating five million new jobs by 2020. 

In full support of the Accord and the bigger picture for the industries in South Africa, Mace Promotions has established three co-operation partnerships within low cost areas in Ekurhuleni. Through these partnerships Mace Promotions is outsourcing all of the company’s promotional textile manufacturing on behalf of their clients to these newly formed community based manufacturing co-operations – and in so doing, contributing meaningfully to growing key skills and creating vital-sustainable jobs in the local textile value chain and thus helping communities to uplift themselves from within.

Captured, from left to right: Palesa Mokoena, Matello Letlaka, Seipati Mohale.

Seipati Mohale is the homeowner where this co-operation was established 10 months ago and, while currently she has two fulltime and one part time staff members, she is keen to fill their capacity to a total of five employees, which she believes will also see the team increase their productivity and potential outputs and to be able to take on more orders.

Captured, from left to right: Pule Pekile, Nthabiseng Matlabe, Bernadet Kgaka, Hilda Matlabe.

The co-operation partnership captured here was established 5 weeks ago in an RDP house in Buhle Park, where Hilda Matlabe has a productive team of four fulltime employees who are working towards producing 500–700 t-shirts a week.