South Africa celebrated the month of May with a high when Betway Premiership football team, Mamelodi Sundowns, was crowned the African football champions after winning the gruelling and coveted CAF Champions League in Morocco. Our boys have done us proud and have flown the South African flag high! We hope that this winning feeling and mentality rub off on the national men’s soccer team, Bafana Bafana, as they start their World Cup campaign on 11 June in Mexico, USA and Canada, and we wish them all the best.
During this month, the Proudly South African team embarked on a strategy session where we reflected on the work we are doing, identified areas of improvement and brainstormed innovative ways of magnifying the buy local campaign. This was a fruitful session where the team came up with new and exciting activations to amplify the buy local campaign.
I am also pleased to announce that one of our members, Khoi Tech, opened its first experiential store in partnership with Telkom at the operator’s head office in Centurion, north of Johannesburg. This marks an important milestone for Soweto-based Khoi Tech, the manufacturer of wearable technology gadgets, as the move will significantly deepen consumer engagement, allow visitors to interact with their products, explore their functionality, and better understand the quality and innovation behind locally made technology.
We are proud of this milestone, which showcases the market access opportunities we provide to our members. This emboldens us to do more for our members to enable them to scale up to new heights.
In line with our mandate of driving support for locally produced goods and services, Proudly South African teamed up with ACTS Family Festival to heighten the buy local message and create market access opportunities for its members.
The ACTS Family Festival was a two-day community and family lifestyle festival hosted by ACTS Church, which brought together families, youth, entrepreneurs, local brands, and the broader community through entertainment, sport, food, and cultural experiences. The event was hosted in Midrand, north of Johannesburg, on the weekend of 30 and 31 May.
The organisers of this popular event invited us to become the headline partner for the food and market zones, where a curated group of Proudly SA member businesses showcased locally made food, beverages, fashion, accessories, lifestyle products, and technology offerings. The partnership created a valuable platform for micro, small and medium-sized businesses and local brands to gain exposure, connect directly with consumers, and promote the importance of supporting local businesses.
The activation aligns with Proudly SA’s mandate of driving local procurement, supporting entrepreneurship, and encouraging South Africans to buy products that are “Loved Here. Made Here.
At Proudly South African, we are cognisant of the important role that spaza shops and the informal traders play in stimulating entrepreneurship. These entrepreneurs require our support, enterprise development and local economic empowerment programmes to enable them to grow and thrive.
It is for this reason that we partnered with Business Culture to host the Spaza Shop and Informal Traders Workshops, which the organisation was hosting across various townships in Johannesburg, culminating in the sprawling township of Alexandra in the north of Johannesburg. The workshops were supported by the City of Johannesburg, FNB, Standard Bank, Altron, and other key stakeholders, who provided informal traders and spaza shop owners with access to business development support, resources, and industry insights aimed at strengthening and formalising township businesses.
Our participation in this initiative further reinforced our commitment to promote local procurement, support township economies, and empower small businesses through meaningful community engagement initiatives.
The importance of choosing a suitable career cannot be overestimated. It is with this in mind that we participated in the Jabavu Career Expo in Soweto to empower young people, job seekers, and aspiring entrepreneurs by exposing them to career opportunities, skills development, and local business pathways.
The Proudly SA activation focused on promoting entrepreneurship as a viable career path, while also showcasing opportunities within local industries and small businesses. The platform enabled direct engagement with students, young adults, and MSMEs, positioning Proudly SA as a key enabler of economic participation and localisation. The rationale behind this activation was to create an informative, engaging, and inspiring experience that encourages young people to consider entrepreneurship and support local businesses.
Looking ahead
As we step into the first month of winter, we will be frantically preparing for a lineup of consumer activations, including participating at the Hollywoodbets Durban July, the Local Wine Expo on 24 to 27 July at the Prison Break Market in Johannesburg and the Local Fashion Police.
The Local Wine Expo provides local wine producers with an opportunity to showcase their wine to the public and to prospective buyers that we will line up. An exclusive dedicated buyers’ session is in the offing, creating a valuable platform for trade buyers to connect directly with local winemakers, explore new varietals, and secure future listings that will help elevate these homegrown brands.
The buying session represents a valuable opportunity for our wine makers to have their brands considered for selection by retailers, hoteliers, liquor buyers, and restaurateurs. We have already invited our wine members to showcase their wares at the event, and the public registration process is underway. Members of the public can register to attend the Local Wine Expo for free on tixsa.
I urge you to register early for the Local Wine Festival to avoid disappointment.
As we cross the mid-year threshold, we are looking ahead to taking the feedback and lessons from our strategy session and implementing them to enrich our value proposition and the offering we provide for our valued members.
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.
We are also pleased to share with you our CODE OF CONDUCT for your kind perusal and understanding.
Sincerely,
As a reminder, we’ve partnered with Briefly News to bring our members exclusive access to discounted advertising packages. It's a valuable opportunity to boost your brand visibility on one of South Africa’s most visited digital platforms.
If you're aiming for reach and targeted exposure, this offer is still available and worth exploring.
Get in touch with Aneme Faba directly at [email protected] or 079 885 9396 to take advantage.
We’ve partnered with LM Radio to offer our members exclusive discounted advertising rates on this beloved station that reaches a loyal and engaged audience. Whether you're promoting a product, service, or campaign, LM Radio offers a trusted platform to get your message heard.
This is a great opportunity to tap into a mature, affluent listenership that values quality content and proudly South African brands.
For more information or to book your spot, contact Jonathan Lloyd directly at [email protected].
Proudly South African members are invited to partner with the South African Social Media Awards (SASMA) 2026 – the premier platform celebrating South Africa’s most impactful digital creators, content-preneurs and brands. SASMA 2026 offers proudly local businesses the opportunity to align with influential content creators and highly engaged online communities across the country.
Showcase your brand, support homegrown talent, and position your business at the forefront of digital innovation and local economic growth.
Join us in amplifying proudly South African stories, products and services on a powerful national stage taking place on 21 November 2026 in Johannesburg Fairlands Mosiek, where over 2000 live guests will attend.
Partner with SASMA 2026 and let’s grow local together. Contact us at [email protected] or 083 385 0158 to explore customised partnership opportunities
If you’ve had a recent success, milestone, or inspiring story to share, we’d love to feature it in an upcoming newsletter. Send your story and high-quality images to [email protected] let’s show South Africa the power of buying local, together.
