Africa union sign deal to donate

 South African union signs deal to donate confiscated garments to flood victims

13 June, 2022In order to help thousands of people living in shelters and in need of humanitarian assistance after devastating landslides and floods in parts of South Africa in April, the South African Garment and Textile Workers Union ( SACTWU) signed a tripartite framework agreement with garment companies, retailers and the South African Government to support victims.

So far, the agreement has resulted in the Sage Africa donation of 1,600 blankets, clothing, textiles, footwear and leather products to flood victims. The donated merchandise had been seized at the ports of entry by the South African Revenue Service (SARS) due to non-compliance with customs regulations by some importers.

The framework agreement aims to crack down on smuggling and mitigate market disruption, corruption and the threat to employment. In addition, it promotes industrial and commercial policy instruments aimed at preserving and developing jobs and local manufacturing industries. The agreement was signed under the auspices of the Retail Trade, Apparel, Textiles, Footwear and Leather (R-CTFL) Master Plan.

Notably, the deal was bolstered by a recent court case in which SARS won against smuggling organizations. The court confirmed that SARS acted lawfully by seizing 19 containers of undervalued imported garments in 2020. According to the union, undervaluation is a strategy commonly used by corrupt importers to avoid paying import duties.

In a statement, the SACTWU stated:

“We applaud SARS for reinforcing its campaign to eliminate customs fraud in the garment, textile, shoe and leather industries. We hope that this result will send a strong message to violators and that swift seizures, arrests and criminal prosecution will become the norm for illegal imports."

“We initiated and concluded this new framework agreement as a firm measure to contribute in a concrete way to alleviate the enormous difficulties suffered by the victims of the floods, as well as to protect the jobs of our members”,

declared André Kriel, the general secretary of SACTWU.

“This initiative is a testament that tripartite agreements, as demonstrated by the Master Plan for the R-CTFL, are key instruments in ending the smuggling of apparel and textile products. We support the efforts of the SACTWU to save the local manufacturing industries”,

said Paule France Ndessomin, IndustriALL regional secretary for Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

In April, in some regions, heavy rains of more than 450 mm were recorded for 48 hours. The unusual downpours, blamed on extreme weather conditions caused by the climate crisis, wreaked havoc in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, North West and Free State provinces. According to the South African government, more than 489 people lost their lives, while more than 63 are missing. In addition, 4,000 houses were destroyed and more than 40,000 people were displaced.

 

The signatories to the agreement are the SACTWU, another union and the following employers' organisations: the South African Garment Association, the South African Garment and Textiles Association, the South African Garment Manufacturers, the South African Textile Federation and the South African Council of Export of Footwear and Leather. The Government is represented by SARS and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in Africa Employee. 

 

The retailers that have joined the agreement are the National Federation of Retail Apparel Merchants, which represents the Mr. Price group, the Foschini group, Truworths, Woolworths, Pick 'n Pay, Cotton On, Cape Union Mart and Queenspark. Pepkor, Superbalist and Retailability also signed on.