The amount of illegal soccer related imports plus the factthat the vast majority of the 2010 soccer items including Bafana Bafana shirtswere not made in South Africa has not brought much sustainabledevelopment in job creation for South Africa's clothing and textile industries.


These Bafana Bafana shirts selling from a major SouthAfrican retailer were made in China and Lesotho


That is why it is important for South African consumers tosupport local products such as the new brand AfriCan.


NTA announced that imports of counterfeit World Cup clothingto South Africa have blighted the countrys textile industry. While mostofficial World Cup merchandise is made in the Far East, a segment of the SouthAfrican industry had hoped to benefit from sales of locally produced officialgarments related to the national Bafana Bafana team. However, the influx offake-branded clothing to South Africa has distracted consumers from purchasingindigenous goods-counterfeits have provided them with a cheaper means of keepingup with fans wearing licensed products.


In its announcement, INTA drew upon figures from the SouthAfrican Clothing and Textile Workers Union (SACTWU), which indicate that 14,400jobs have been cut in the countrys textile sector over the past year as aresult of World Cup fakes. SACTWU general secretary Andre Kriel said that 2,000jobs had been lost in Cape Town alone. Soccer supporters and South Africancitizens can save these jobs and grow the manufacturing capacity by ensuringthat they buy locally made products, he added.


Merchants working for counterfeiting cartels have targetedunsuspecting tourists and fans, who have not always been able to tell thedifference between fake garments and their official counterparts. But despitethe negative impact that counterfeit goods have had on South Africas economy, seizure operations have been productive. In the past six months,South African customs authorities have impounded fake World Cup goods worthR66m, or US$8m.


INTA executive director Alan Drewsen warned that allconsumers were vulnerable to fake-branded World Cup items, which are not justlocalised to South Africa. Fake goods not only mislead consumers, but lead tothe loss of legitimate jobs in the affected industries, he said. FIFA and South Africa have increased their efforts to block the sale of counterfeit goods, and wehope that consumers will be watchful and not knowingly purchase any fakemerchandise.


Reference CPS Global

24 June 2010


Source: RedressConsultancy