As fabric face masks become a hot commodity, Proudly South African (Proudly SA) has made it possible for citizens to purchase these items via a dedicated marketplace portal hosted on its Web site.
Announcing an ease of the COVID-19 lockdown regulations last Thursday, president Cyril Ramaphosa called on all South Africans to wear a face mask whenever they leave home.
Government has decided to lift lockdown restrictions from level five to four, beginning 1 May. This, according to Ramaphosa, is in line with gradually easing the country’s economy back into activity.
The regulations, introduced last month, aim to slow down the spread of the coronavirus, which has already infected 4 793 South Africans, with 90 people having succumbed to the disease.
Proudly SA notes the portal will not only serve as a reliable source for locally-made masks but also enable the country’s clothing and textile sector to retain jobs.
Proudly SA CEO Eustace Mashimbye says: “This initiative is an effort to support a sector of our economy that is able to meet the current pressing demand for face masks, which we have been called on to wear in order to support government’s efforts to combat the spread of COVID-19.
"It is imperative that we support our local businesses, which have the capacity to produce sufficient masks to meet the country’s needs.”
The concept of the portal, according to Proudly SA, arose from discussions with the SA Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Manufacturing Circle around steps to align initiatives under way in the clothing and textile manufacturing industry with the needs of the public and businesses.
These include the collective agreement at the clothing bargaining council to galvanise the industry to produce more personal protective equipment items.
Proudly SA says all companies listed on the site have confirmed with the clothing bargaining council that they are genuine manufacturers producing locally-made fabric masks, supporting local jobs and operating under conditions that promote the health and safety of workers, among other stipulations.
“In order to help consumers select masks, the portal also provides a link to fabric mask guidelines published by the DTI. The site links corporate buyers with producers of masks.
“The site displays the details of the manufacturer, pictures of the masks, the company’s production capacity per week and unit costs. It advances local manufacturing and jobs over imports, and provides for the consumer interest with price, as well as product transparency.”
Proudly South African warns that any company not complying with the requirements will be removed from the site. All manufacturers are required to register before they appear on the site.
“We call on all corporates and retailers to use the portal to source their masks and to liberate any medical-grade stock back to essential services,” concludes Mashimbye.
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