South African clothing retailers are moving away from imports from China.

The South African flag is increasingly decorating labels on garments at major retail chains across the country. It’s an effort to bolster the country’s clothing and textile sector. As of now more than half of the textiles sold by South African retailers are imported from abroad, and nearly 60 per cent of those imports come from China.

But now domestic production is seen as a way of actually responding to what the customer needs and more efficiently. The shift is now gaining momentum on the heels of global trade disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as record unemployment. Domestic production will mean more jobs. South Africa has a target of 1,21,000 new textile jobs by 2030 and 60 per cent of all textile goods sourced locally in the next five years.

But this will require investment in skills training and support for entrepreneurs.Regular power cuts and decaying railways are impeding local manufacturers from producing and transporting goods. And there are other practical barriers to closing the trade imbalance between China and South Africa. China has economies of scale and South Africa as compared to China is a relatively small country.