The 2025 edition of the Proudly South African Buy Local Summit and Expo has provided a platform to inform the dynamic ways in which South Africa can create jobs and grow the economy using tools and resources at its disposal.
The summit was recently held at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. It featured over 200 exhibitors spanning diverse industries from information and communication technology (ICT), textile, automotive, cosmetics and personal care, beverages, confectionary, food, and the gaming industries.
Officially opening the summit and expo, Gauteng MEC for Economic Development Lebogang Maile highlighted the importance of the country’s economic independence, rather than having to depend extensively on international aid.
“[Relying on international aid] is proving to be a risky endeavour in the world where superpowers can and have arbitrarily elected to withdraw support that our people depend on,” he explained.
The MEC said the Buy Local Summit and Expo has been a catalyst for reimagining and positioning the local economy. It has crystalised the progressive idea that building an economy that grows in the hands of local communities is the most sustainable path to economic and human development.
“Localisation of the economy is a strategic lever that can usher change and incubate talent, innovation, and ingenuity,” he said. Chief Executive Officer of Proudly South African, Eustace Mashimbye said the Buy Local Summit and Expo seeks to go beyond words and offer practical interventions that can enrich the fortunes and the lives of local entrepreneurs.
“We are acutely aware of the challenges facing entrepreneurs and the unabating socio-economic challenges of rising unemployment, deepening levels of poverty and widening inequality makes the localisation of procurement and enhanced support for local enterprises even more urgent and greater,” he said.
He added that the time to diagnose the challenges is over, and now is the time for everyone to roll-up their sleeves and get their hands dirty by implementing solutions that can improve the prospects of local entrepreneurs and turbocharge economic growth.
Fashion industry takes a stand
On the sidelines of the summit and expo, a protest march headlined by leading fashion designers who turned the streets of Sandton into a beehive of activity to raise awareness about the impact of illicit trading on the local fashion industry.
The march was a rallying call for consumers, retailers, and policymakers to prioritise locally made goods and protect jobs within the sector. Among prominent names leading the march were David Tlale, Mzukisi Mbane, Palesa Mokubung, Otsile Sefolo, Vanya Mangaliso, and Craig Jacobs.
The protesters handed two memorandums to the President of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS) Michael Lawrence, and to the Director of Leather and Footwear at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), Dr Jay Irkhede, reinforcing the call for stronger measures to combat counterfeit goods and unfair competition in the fashion industry.
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