Buying local is better – for companies and South Africa’s economy

Growing the local economy goes hand-in-hand with large companies buying products and services from smaller local businesses. This helps emerging ventures generate more revenue, expand their footprint and create more jobs.

Local isn’t just lekker; it is also much better for the economy than importing products from overseas. The National Development Plan envisions that by 2030 SMMEs will generate 90% of the 11-million new jobs in our country. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa also called on people and the private sector to buy as many South African products and services as possible. “Let us all buy locally made goods to drive up the demand in our economy. Within this next year, we seek to conclude agreements with retailers to stock more South African goods on their shelves and to actively promote the great products made by South African hands,” he said this year during this State of the Nation Address in June.

This forms an intrinsic part of how Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company (TMACC) does business - making a point of sourcing over 95% of its retail merchandise locally. TMACC’s Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) programme plays a key role in this. Launched in partnership with Siyakha Implementation Partners, the initiative has helped local small, medium and micro enterprises grow their businesses.

For Karen Tardieu of Popcorn Tribe, supplying her products to large businesses, from supermarkets to TMACC, has been vital to her venture’s success. One of her ESD highlights include being featured on the Forerunners programme on eTV and eNCA, which profiles emerging enterprises that are making their mark. This resulted in exposure worth R1.6-million.

All of this has allowed the popcorn company to grow from being a 36m² garage-based venture to a 750m² factory. “Having large clients has helped me expand my business beyond my imagination. With the addition of an upgraded food-safety certification and  we will begin exporting to Europe soon. 

ESD graduate Yvonne Manyiki from Cape Town, founder of Dimzique Jewellery, agrees. She started supplying TMACC with jewellery made from sterling silver, freshwater pearls, leather, seeds and crystal beads in 2018. Her creations have since gone global. The Dimzique range was recently modelled at the 2019 Torino Fashion Week in Italy.

“It all started when I met the Cableway’s retail manager, Rianda Williams, during last year’s SARCDA Trade Exhibition. Her first order followed soon, and the rest is history,” Manyiki says recalling the excitement she felt. “It was the first time I saw my products displayed in a shop, so I had to learn a lot about packaging and merchandising. It’s the thing I value most about my relationship with the Cableway: it offered me an opportunity to learn and to grow my business.”

Buying from local entrepreneurs like Tardieu and Manyiki makes sense, and it does so in more than one way, says Wahida Parker, TMACC’s Managing Director. “Table Mountain is a proudly South African destination, so sourcing our merchandise from local manufacturers and producers is incredibly important.”

“By supporting SMEs we are helping them grow, become more resilient and create more jobs, which is good for our local and national economy,” she adds.

Finally, going the local is lekker route is good for the environment, Parker explains. “Locally produced merchandise has a much lower carbon footprint than goods and products sourced from afar. This is a big deal for us: we are, after all, operating in the eco-sensitive Cape Floral Region, which is extremely vulnerable to climate change and other environmental risks.”

ENDS/

About the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company:

Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company has been providing visitors with a world-class experience since October 4, 1929. The company operates in a National Park and World Heritage Site. The mountain’s magnetism has a way of drawing people in, compelling them to reach the summit. But getting to the top was not always the effortless trip it is today. For more information, visit www.tablemountain.net