Import volumes of consumer goods could be affected if president Cyril Ramaphosa’s government succeeds in persuading South Africans to “buy local”.
In his State of the National Address on June 20 Ramaphosa said “we will stimulate local demand and grow South African manufacturing by making sure the ‘Buy Local’ campaign is everywhere and ever-present.
“We call on all South Africans to deliberately and consistently buy locally-made goods”.
In what could be construed as a non-tariff barrier, Ramaphosa said “’within this next year, we seek to conclude agreements with retailers to stock more South African goods on their shelves and to actively promote the great products made by South African hands”.
Other countries, it seems, should be expected to prefer South African products over their own: “at the same time, we will promote our products more actively to the rest of the African continent and the world.
“An essential part of South Africa’s growth strategy is the integration of our economy with those of our neighbours and the rest of our continent.”
