OVERVIEW Manufacturing
OVERVIEW Manufacturing “Made in the Cape” is a new brand. in Cape Town” was launched in 2021. “Made in the Cape” debuted in 2022. Both branding initiatives aim to create awareness of local talent “Made and to guarantee authenticity of origin. The “Made in Cape Town” (MiCT) initiative is a joint venture of the Craft and Design Institute (CDI) and the City of Cape Town’s Enterprise and Investment Department. It aims to promote small and local businesses and encourage the idea that “local is lekker”. Wesgro, the tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape, launched the “Made in the Cape” regionof-origin brand within the broader context of products such as rooibos winning geographical indication (GI) status in the EU after a long battle. In 2023 the name “Cape Flora” began the long process to win similar accreditation. There is global trend to protect such name brands and Wesgro describes “Made in the Cape” as “strengthening the identity of Cape exports in key international markets”. The campaign is also helping exporters. The Cape Trade Portal, which started off with 115 registered exporters showcasing 600 products in 2022, grew to 924 exporters showcasing over 4 000 Western Cape products one year later. A buyers’ programme event was held in 2023 where nearly 600 business meetings were held over three days between 31 buyers from 18 countries and 269 Cape exporters. TFG, which includes Foschini, TotalSports and Markhams among its brands, has been buying up clothing factories for nearly a decade, ONLINE RESOURCES Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster: www.capeclothingcluster.org.za Cape Trade Portal: www.capetradeportal.com Invest Cape Town: www.investcapetown.com Made in Cape Town: www.madeincapetown.org.za SECTOR INSIGHT Damen Shipyards is delivering its patrol-vessel project. giving it the ability to respond more quickly to fashion trends. Among TFG’s acquisitions were Prestige Clothing Maitland and Prestige Clothing Caledon. The group then spent R75- million on expanding the factory in Caledon. TFG is ramping up production of clothing and expects to increase staff from just over 3 000 to more than 5 000. The second of three Multi Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPVs) was delivered by Damen Shipyards to the South African Navy in October 2023. The vessel was named the SAS King Shaka Zulu and is part of the programme to protect South Africa’s 2 798km coastline. The multi-vessel project created more than one-million manhours of work during the construction of the three MMIPVs and supported more than 1 000 direct and indirect jobs at Damen Shipyards Cape Town. The yard is maximising local content by using small businesses. Invest Cape Town reports that the city’s boatbuilding industry is the second-largest producer of recreational catamarans in the world, after France. The city’s companies export 80% of the products that they produce and attract a positive trade balance of approximately -million annually. ■ WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2024 32 PHOTO: Made in Cape Town
Construction and property Cape Town Station has been transformed. OVERVIEW SECTOR INSIGHT Residential building plans reached R15.4-billion in 2022. A 20-storey mixed-use development has gone up on top of Cape Town Station. Eris Property Group has leased the station forecourt from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) and will house 3 085 students who are eligible for support from the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS). While using the air above state properties such as the station might seem a clever solution, using unused state land for housing seems an obvious solution. There has been very little recourse to what might seem obvious in South Africa, but the Goodwood Station Social Housing Development project has made a start. DCI Community Housing Services has secured the development rights awarded by PRASA for the development of their land around the stations at Heideveld and Goodwood. DCI provides rental housing accommodation for people who do not qualify for the breaking-new-ground subsidy (previously RDP) and are unable to participate in the formal non-subsidised housing market. The Goodwood project was officially opened in 2023 and DCI has a further railreserve project in the works at Retreat which will bring 164 units to market. Across the city, more than 6 500 social-housing units are planned or in development on 50 sites identified by the municipality. These include parts of the CBD, along the Voortrekker Road corridor and at Salt River, where a 1 800-unit project will deliver 600 social-housing units. In Woodstock, social housing company Sohco has put the 243-flat project out to tender and occupation should take place in early 2024. ONLINE RESOURCES Building Industry Bargaining Council: www.bibc.co.za Construction Industry Development Board: www.cidb.org.za SA Institute of Architects: www.saia.org.za Western Cape Property Developers Forum: www.wcpdf.org.za The Provincial Government of the Western Cape is in partnership with the University of the Western Cape to deliver more than 2 500 beds for student accommodation. Public comment has been made on a proposed new Inclusionary Housing Framework, which according to the State of the Province Address, “leverages our development planning powers” and aims to increase the number of mixed-use developments in the future. Residential building plans approved in the Western Cape grew 22% year-on-year in 2022 to reach a value of R14.5-billion. Nine of South Africa’s 10 most expensive suburbs are in Cape Town, according to the Sunday Times, with three of them (Clifton, Bantry Bay and Llandudno) averaging more than R20-million for a house sale. Semigration from Gauteng is having a big effect on towns such as Plettenberg Bay and Knysna, with a shortage of housing stock causing prices to keep rising as demand grows. According to the Building Industry Bargaining Council (BIBC), the Western Cape has performed best among the country’s largest construction employment contributors over the last eight quarters, boasting an average growth of some 8%. ■ Credit: Conradie Park PHOTO: Boogertman + Partners Architects 33 WESTERN CAPE BUSINESS 2024
