The South African Council of Churches (SACC) is the facilitating body for a fellowship of 23 Christian churches, together with one observer-member and associated para-church organisations. Founded in 1968, the SACC includes among its members Protestant, Catholic, Independent, and Pentecostal churches, representing the majority of Christians in South Africa. SACC members are committed to expressing jointly, through proclamation and programmes, the united witness of the church in South Africa, especially in matters of national debate.

We are grateful that Government has reaffirmed its commitment to civil society in general and to the Clothing and Textile industry in particular by introducing country of origin labelling legislation agreed to at the Growth and Development Summit of 2003. Furthermore, we welcome the release of a draft notice by the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Mandisi Mpahlwa, on the existing Merchandise Marks Act (No. 17 of 1941) requiring such labels on all clothing and textile products and calling for comment in this regard.

The SACC thanks the Department of Trade and Industry for the opportunity to comment on the above notice and therefore expresses its categorical support for this legislation in intent and principle. Over the last few years, many thousands of clothing and textile workers in South Africa have become unemployed as a result of the displacement of locally manufactured products by cheaper imports. The social impact of the job losses in the clothing and textile sector is very great. Families and entire communities are pushed into poverty by the closure of a single factory. The South African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union estimates these losses to be more than 90 000 workers between 1989 and 2003. This is borne out by the numbers of workers in the textile industry declining from approximately 198 000 in 1989 to 110 000 in 2003 with over twenty thousand job losses in 2003. These are not simply statistics in the eyes of the community and the Churches. These are people, the majority of whom are women and single mothers living under particularly difficult circumstances and who are frequently the bread winners in their families.

We believe that the regulations set out in the proposed notice are long overdue and will assist consumers to make informed purchasing choices, thereby increasing the market share of products manufactured in South Africa. Clothing retailers may be urged to stock greater quantities of local goods, thereby enhancing the Proudly South African campaign, giving the industry both a moral and market boost. Such a step, we believe, will contribute toward the prevention and/or reduction of job losses, the further boosting of economic growth as well as poverty alleviation.

It is for these reasons that we believe the issue of the notice and the implementation of its requirements are very urgent. We therefore urge the Minister to issue the notice at the soonest possible opportunity and to enforce it vigorously from the moment it comes into force.

Dr. Molefe Tsele
General Secretary