The National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry of South Africa welcomes the Direction issued by the Minister of Trade, Industry & Competition (DTIC) on what clothing, footwear and bedding goods can be sold during lockdown phase 4.

The Minister had issued the Direction yesterday.

The Regulations permit "winter clothes" and "Children's clothes" only. The industry had approached the Minister to publish a list to clarify the products.

This list was then developed by senior retailers and manufacturing stakeholders and subsequently published by Government.

The list is not able to go beyond what is in the Regulations. However, it enables a very wide range of clothing items to be sold and as such, we are very happy that DTIC has used every bit of space in the Regulations to promote local industry and give local manufacturers a wide list of products they can manufacture.

Tens of thousands of jobs will be created through this wider list. This is a good first step to getting the full industry back to work at Level 3 subject to strict health protocols.

Our bargaining council represents 667 clothing manufacturing factories, and covers approximately 80 000 employees in our industry. This means that at least half a million workers and their families, from the poorest parts of our communities, rely on an income from our clothing manufacturing industry. The new Regulations which were issued yesterday is a welcome boost for these employees, for employers and their families in particular, but also for the wider South African nation in general.

Issued by The National Bargaining Council for the Clothing Manufacturing Industry of South Africa