Local clothing manufacturing sector rebuilding one stitch at a time
05 March 2021 - Over the last week, Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos, was invited to visit local clothing manufacturing businesses across Cape Town who are launching an online development programme that is being supported with funding from the City of Cape Town. He was joined by officials from the City’s Enterprise and Investment Department.
The City supports 22 clothing and textile manufacturers via one of its Strategic Business Partners (SBP), the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster (CCTC). This partnership is aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the local clothing, textile, footwear, and leather (CTFL) manufacturing industry.
The City provides funding to SBPs in order to actively seek out opportunities to grow the local economy by attracting investment and create jobs.
‘I am pleased to confirm that in the next month, the CCTC is launching the online Team Leader Development Programme to help companies create first-line managers who will drive productivity, create stability, and harness innovation. The City has provided support for 20 learners to complete the four-month course and the cluster aims to train at least 50 learners over the next six months.
‘I am immensely proud of our partnership with the CCTC, especially how we were able to provide support to the industry through the various levels of lockdown. Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen first-hand how this support has resulted in the retention of jobs and embracing innovation to take advantage of new opportunities.
Alderman Vos visited the largest clothing manufacturer in South Africa, Pep Clothing in Parow, Southern Africa’s leading thread manufacturer, ACA Threads in Brackenfell, manufacturers of high-quality outdoor and technical sportswear, Performance Brands in Lansdowne, as well as ROGZ in Montague Gardens, who export pet products proudly made in Cape Town to over 90 countries worldwide.
‘Collectively, these four manufacturers employ over 2 500 Capetonians and I was impressed to hear how some of these companies even managed to employ additional residents during the course of last year,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos.
In 2020, throughout the pandemic, CCTC members were supported through an online risk mitigation and recovery support programme which enabled them to quickly understand and adopt best practices, work safer and recover faster. With the continued support of the City of Cape Town, the CCTC is guiding members beyond recovery to sustainable growth. Key to this is the cluster’s market-led industry support strategy, in which major retailers are part of the conversation and provide a clear commercial link to manufacturing upgrading initiatives.
‘The City of Cape Town also partners with the Craft and Design Institute (CDI) and recently launched the Cape Skills and Employment Accelerator project, which is focused on creating employment opportunities for youth and women in the clothing and textile industry in Cape Town over the next three years. The project will enable SMMEs to take on machinists at a greatly reduced cost to their business while creating learning and work opportunities for unemployed women.
‘Through our strategic partnerships, I aim to help this important sector to boost production, attract the investment it needs to create more jobs and thrive. From the visits I have conducted, it has become clear that through our partnerships, support provided and our rapid response to uncertainty created by the Covid-19 global pandemic we have helped key sectors weather the storm and lay a solid foundation to build back better than before.’ said Alderman Vos.
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
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10 March 2021 – TygerBurger – Cape Town
