Textile industry can boost South African economy, says minister

The textile industry is one of the most strategic platforms through which South Africa can bolster trade of its local products, Jeff Radebe, minister for planning, monitoring and evaluation, has said. The textile manufacturing industry is an ideal model for sustainable entrepreneurship as it encourages productivity, hard work and self-reliance, he added.
 

The minister was addressing the launch of Ivili Loboya Textile in Rosebank, Johannesburg. Ivili Loboya, which is Africa’s first cashmere fabric manufacturer, was first established in 2015 as a wool processing hub in Ibika village in Butterworth, Eastern Cape.
 
Radebe said the establishment of Ivili Textile is a very important milestone in efforts to transform the economic landscape of South Africa.

“It is the culmination of many years of hard work towards the establishment of this ground breaking initiative in the textile industry… These are quality niche wools sourced from different South African sheep breeds with local cotton and wild silk from the North West province," he said.
 
“It is inspiring to note that the launch of this initiative will also mark the signing of an agency agreement with an Italian retailer, an initiative that will expand your markets to Europe. 
 
“I believe that a project of this nature has great potential to contribute significantly both to the development of an inclusive economy as well as in employment creation,” the South African government news agency quoted the minister as saying.
 
“You do not need to win a tender in order to be successful in this industry. The growth of your business is dependent on your productivity. These are the kinds of initiatives that add meaningful value in changing the current socio-economic conditions of the people of South Africa,” added Radebe.
 
Initiatives like Ivili Loboya Textile are a very important intervention in bolstering rural economies and addressing some of the country’s national imperatives.

The minister commended Ivili Textiles for its strategic focus of promoting women participation, improving productivity through agronomic and development skills, as well as promoting entrepreneurship, thus contributing directly to the objectives of the National Development Plan.