Ramaphosa Calls On South Africans To Buy Local To Reignite Growth

THEBE MABANGA

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has urged South African consumers and companies to buy goods locally this festive season in order to boost growth.

Ramaphosa said this when he unveiled his Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan during a joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday.

“We call on every South African to contribute to our recovery effort by choosing to buy local goods and support local businesses. This is one way that each and every one of us can contribute to building a new economy,” said Ramaphosa.

Ramaphosa emphasised the importance of manufacturing products locally instead of relying on imports, saying last year alone, South Africa recorded its first trade surplus with the European Union, driven by record exports of manufactured goods.

“South Africa currently imports around R1.1 trillion of goods, excluding oil, each year. If we were to manufacture just 10% of these goods locally, it is estimated that we