April 2026 Newsletter

The month of March is notable for seasonal transitions. In the Northern Hemisphere, it marks the start of spring, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it signals the beginning of Autumn. In line with these evolutions, Proudly South African hosted a pre-Buy Local Summit & Expo media event where we raised public awareness about the importance of supporting local enterprises, in particular small and medium-sized businesses.

The choice of the venue for the media was fitting as it was hosted at an abandoned factory in the Johannesburg CBD. The media event sought to demonstrate how our purchasing decisions can make a difference between the survival and prosperity of homegrown businesses, or their ultimate failure and collapse.

The heart-wrenching testimonies from the BreadBox Bakery and JA Engineering put the human faces to the statistics of business failures in South Africa and demonstrated the importance of supporting local enterprises.

We also got to hear inspiring and uplifting stories from companies such as Lesco and Sonwaro Coffee, which showcased how local support has enabled their businesses and ensured that they not only survive but thrive as well.

In the same month, we hosted the 14th edition of the Buy Local Summit & Expo at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg on 16 and 17 March, with Standard Bank as the headline sponsor.

This annual flagship event was hosted under the theme: Localisation…A critical imperative to the economy. The choice of theme was informed by the increasingly uncertain geopolitical developments and the headwinds that our economy faces, such as the proliferation of illicit trade and unfair trade practises which negatively affect many industries, and the adverse impact of tariffs imposed on South African exports by the current administration in the United States.

As per tradition, the Buy Local Summit & Expo attracted over 200 local exhibitors spanning diverse industries, keynote speeches by senior government officials, including Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry & Competition, Ms Alexandra Lilian Amelia Abrahams, Minister of Small Business Development, Ms Stella Ndabeni, and MEC for Finance and Economic Development, Mr Lebogang Maile.

Several high-impact panel discussions were also lined up at the conference, including thought-provoking discussions on the impact of illicit trade and unfair trade practices and the impact of Shein and Temu on the local retail, clothing, textile, and footwear industries, respectively. Another insightful panel discussion focused on local content production in the creative industry, sponsors’ showcase of successful enterprise supplier development (ESD) initiatives, while a more relaxed dialogue was on local, household South African brands.

The highlight of the first day of the Buy Local Summit & Expo was the protest march around the Sandton precinct that was organised to highlight the impact of the far-reaching economic impact of illicit trade. 

The march consisted of representatives from various industries that are negatively impacted by illicit trade and unfair trade practises, including members of organised labour.

On the second day of the Buy Local Summit & Expo, Proudly South African launched a home-grown quiz game called Shesha 3.2.1 to great acclaim and excitement. The game can be bought online from the Shop Proudly SA store.

Earlier this month, we were invited by one of our members and leading crown maker, Coleus Packaging, to a factory visit in Alrode, east of Johannesburg. The company has made a R200 million investment in new plant equipment to replace the old, outdated machinery.

Proudly South African was also invited to the 4th South Africa Investment Conference (SAIC), which forms a crucial part of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s investment drive to attract R1.2 trillion investment into South Africa over a period of five years.

The SAIC brings together investors from across the country and around the world to promote South Africa as an attractive investment destination and trade partner. Proudly South African was requested to showcase its member capabilities at the conference and invited five of its members to showcase their offerings to a captive and influential audience at the event. These members are PojuPoju, Nomakadi, Sonwaro Coffee, Shesha and Bold Bald Heads Industries.

This is one of the market access opportunities that Proudly South African created for its members.

As we moved through the Easter and Pesach period, we were reminded of the importance of mindful spending and the role each of us can play in supporting local businesses. Moments like these highlight the power of choosing local, not only during holidays, but as an ongoing commitment to growing our economy.

We hope our Christian members and their families had a joyful Easter, and that our Jewish patrons enjoyed a meaningful Passover with their loved ones.

For information on South African products to look forward to, please contact our team at [email protected]. We will gladly share insights from our trusted member stakeholders.
Remember to check out Proudly SA’s latest CI document to see the various ways in which you as a member of Proudly SA can use our logo on all your qualifying products, websites, and other marketing material.

Should you have any questions or suggestions, or would like to collaborate on future initiatives, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Should you wish to share with the newsletter team any milestones, events, awards, or sales, please send your email to [email protected]. We value your feedback and involvement in shaping the course of our movement.