About Saflia
The Footwear Manufacturers’ Federation of South Africa (FMF) was established in 1944 to serve the interests of footwear manufacturers in the RSA at national level. However, in 1997 the FMF was restructured to encompass the supplier industries’ and the Southern African Footwear & Leather Industries Association (SAFLIA) was formed to enable the footwear manufacturers and suppliers to work closer together for the benefit of the footwear value chain.
SAFLIA is formally registered with the Department of Labour as a national employer organisation in terms of the Labour Relations Act. The Constitution makes provision for three separate sections, viz. Footwear Manufacturing Section, Supplier Section and the Tanning Section. It furthermore provides for direct representation on the SAFLIA Management Committee by Small and Micro Enterprises who have been defined as employers with less than 50 employees and with a turnover of not more than R2,5m. The various sections can meet separately, from time to time, as circumstances dictate.
The organisation is a party to the National Bargaining Council for the Leather Industry of South Africa (NBCLI) and represents its members’ interests on various structures and provides valuable information to the industry.
The SAFLIA Management Committee
The SAFLIA Management Committee are elected annually by Members at the AGM and comprises of not less than six and not more than nine Senior Managers or Chief Executive Officers of Members in good standing and the Director of SAFLIA. The Committee meets at least three times every twelve months.
Noel Whitehead
Chairperson
BOLTON Footwear (Pty) Ltd
Jacky Hay
Deputy Chairperson
The Little Slipper Company (Pty) Ltd
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
SAFLIA
Warren Gedye
Manufacturing Sect
Michelle Footwear
Rajen Reddy
Group Manufacturing Section
BBF Safety Group
Ashley Zwart
Component Manufacturer
Ribtech C.C
The SAFLIA staff – 2024
The SAFLIA staff is a small but powerful team.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
SAFLIA
Christina Venter
Accounts/Statistical Manager
SAFLIA
Noreen Daniel
Office Assistant
SAFLIADirectors Report
2024 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2024
It is quite something to be publishing the 80th Edition of the Annual Report. Yet another milestone in SAFLIA’s history, and to think the first one comprised of a few typed out A4 pages. We certainly have come a long way.
Of great concern is the dramatic drop in production output of 22.33 %, from 61.345m pairs in 2022 to 47.646m in 2023 (the year in review). Lack of demand was the main culprit. As a result, there were massive amounts of short time, with some major factories just closing down for long periods, which is not a sustainable situation.
However, the labour stats, with a drop of 7.1%, don’t quite reflect the above, and this was due to 2 main reasons: 1. The huge cost of retrenchments and 2. The need to retain critical skills. Hence the reason for the extended short times, otherwise the labour stats would have shown a much higher drop.
The positive and large growth I spoke of in last year’s annual report was mainly as a result of flip flop production – cheap, easy to manufacture footwear and minimally labour intensive, so this means by deduction that the drop in production during 2023 was on traditional footwear involving the full manufacturing process and this poses a huge challenge.
2023 also saw a year of record Load Shedding of 332 days and 6947 hours compared to 205 days and 3780 hours in 2022, meaning an 84% and 62% increase respectively. The higher percentage in hours was as a result of the higher levels of load shedding with 45 days at Stage 6.
By the 10th of May 2023, SA experienced more days of load shedding than the total of 2022. This situation just exacerbated the challenges.
The R-CTFL Masterplan continues to disappoint, and perhaps the question is, why is the PMO (steering committee) lacking footwear representation? It is also of great concern that the project leadership has now changed 4 times, since inception. As is known, Footwear, which is very labour and machine intensive, with many complex designs, is a very complex industry, which really needs special attention and effort. Perhaps it is believed that the effort needed is not worth it and as a result it is easier to pick the lower-hanging fruits, being clothing and textiles. One can read report after report about our Masterplan and the subject matter is always about clothing & textiles.
After 4 years and counting, we cannot be proud of the progress made regarding Footwear. The ‘biltong clause’ is not working. I also spoke about this in last year’s report. Clearly footwear is not getting much attention.
SAFLIA also experienced a mass exodus of smaller members during talks covering wage negotiation mandates, with 2 big players waiting on the sidelines to see in which direction to move. Their main reason was their belief that SAFLIA was unable to change the status quo with regards to the operating conditions the industry faces, i.e. the over burdensome Collective Agreement. The non-compliant factories enjoy more freedom and sadly support from Retail.
Much work and a major effort will be needed to rectify this situation.
Sadly, we have made little progress in changing the minimum duty of R5 on imported footwear, despite all efforts made by myself through the various government structures and the great costs of all the research. This has been ongoing since 2020/1.
Perhaps it’s time to re-imagine the footwear manufacturing industry. Most interventions, such as the various clusters, all the research etc., did not bring the necessary remedial actions and now, it has just become survival mode, and in this mode, there cannot be any growth.
2024 must be a year of re-focus, failing which the future looks bleak.
We continue our collaboration with other local organizations in the broader leather industries such as SATEO, ASAM & SAFLEC. It must be noted that SHALC seems to have gone very quiet. With regards to SAFLEC, we continued our funding during this period despite the Technology Fund payment holiday (extended to the whole industry).
With regards to overseas Organizations, we still collaborate with APPICAPS / WORLD FOOTWEAR and ARSUTORIA where once again the Footwear & Leather goods workshop was held in Durban on the 17th – 21st April (2023), where SAFLIA was the main sponsor.
Additionally, we also continue to work closely with the various Government departments, i.e. DTIC, ITAC, SARS/Customs, and by default, with the NBCLI, NULAW & SACTWU.
In closing I would like to thank all our loyal members listed on page 8 for their support and confidence and faith in SAFLIA.
As always, a big thank you to all the SAFLIA delegates listed on pages 12 & 13 who attend the various NBCLI meetings, so that they can function adequately and effectively and to the
MANCOM, listed on page 9, for their time and effort to sit on the SAFLIA board and lastly to my staff, Ina & Noreen.
To all, your support and effort is much appreciated.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2023 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2023
Probably the biggest surprise was the positive and large growth in production figures versus previous years, at 61,344.614 pairs. This against all odds, but the growth comes mainly from cheap footwear, such as EVA flip flops. The rest remains pretty stagnant and under immense strain. Our Chairman, Noel, gives some highlights on this in his message on page 5.
Whilst one always tries to be positive, especially when writing reviews of this nature, I feel reality paints a different picture, as we have reached a consequential juncture and it would be wrong to ignore this. To be silent for the sake of not causing a stir is irresponsible. Much research has been done and is available out there to prove this point.
We all know the biggest problem our country is facing is the high level of unemployment which is growing year on year. Research shows that this will continue until 2030. The age group most affected by this is the youth (15–24-year-olds). To put it in numbers, according to Stats SA, South Africa has over 10 million young people in this category. Of these, only 2,5 million are in the labour force, either employed or unemployed. The rest are not in the labour force at all, mainly because they have lost hope of finding a job that suits their skills or in the area they reside. Some are in tertiary education, but that would be a very small percentage.
This means a national absorption rate of only 9%. The world average in this category sits at about 13.6%. In general, unemployment in this category is at about 61%, but it depends on whose stats one reads. These are the very people who try to educate themselves so that they can find jobs once they leave school/tertiary institutions i.e., the future of our country. It paints a bleak and hopeless situation. This clearly indicates that SA is doing something wrong. As has been reported by many different institutions, “This is a ticking time bomb”.
One remedy for this was the introduction of all the various Masterplans and these were perhaps seen as the silver bullet to the unemployment problem. The R-CTFL Masterplan was launched in 2019 with much pomp and ceremony, signed by most major stakeholders, including most major retail chains. Much has been written about this in the 2020 Annual Reports, so no need to re-cap here. Unfortunately, from a footwear perspective, the Masterplan has failed in its 7 core commitments and has lost what little momentum it had. This is despite the repetitive platitudes and assurances by ALL stakeholders. It’s all about lip service and politically correctness.
Of concern is that the R-CTFL Masterplan has now had 4 different project / programme managers, which in itself is not a good sign.
I’ve engaged with most manufacturers, and all are very nervous to give comment as they fear being named and then facing backlash from the other stakeholders. However, the single most common response from them to local manufacturers is price, price, price. So for just a few Rands cheaper, they still prefer to import, irrespective of whatever other advantages local sourcing offers. One only has to go into any meaningful retailer and look at the product mix of imports versus local.
As is known, we (SAFLIA) did research through B&M Analysts to try to better understand our shortcomings. Based on this research, some factories tried to introduce systems that our competitor countries use i.e., labour flexibility. The initial results were very positive, but through bureaucracy and resistance they eventually failed and so these factories are back to the old ways of manufacturing.
The other big project that we undertook during 2021, to increase the minimum duty of R5 to R15 (R20) per pair, failed in the face of government indetermination. This, despite being encouraged in 2022 to follow certain protocols. It is apparent that there is no willingness to tackle issues sensitive to the WTO.
The challenges are well known and relatively simple to establish, but the remedies are very complex and I fear that by 2030 there won’t be much of a (formal) footwear industry left. So far, 2023 is looking rather bleak.
They say desperate times call for desperate measures – well those days are certainly coming.
So as not to belabour anything further here, I wish to draw your particular attention to pages 33 & 39 in this report, where I make some comment about Exports & Labour Affairs.
We continue to work with the various Government departments that are key to our industry, such as DTIC, ITAC and SARS/Customs, and we continue our relationship with APPICAPS / WORLD FOOTWEAR and ARSUTORIA and once again the Footwear & Leather Goods Workshop was held in Durban at the end of May (2022).
I would like to thank all our valued members listed on page 8 for their support and confidence in SAFLIA during 2022. As always a big thank you to all the SAFLIA delegates listed on pages 12 & 13 who attend the various NBCLI meetings, so that they can function adequately and effectively.
Lastly a word of special thanks to the MANCOM, listed on page 9, for their time and effort to sit on the SAFLIA board.
To all, your support is much appreciated.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2022 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2022
Although our statistics show a growth in production of 14.7% compared to the previous year 2020, this can only be attributed to the fact that the manufacturers were able to work a full year, as opposed to 2020, where they were forced into “lockdown” of almost 2 months due to the COVID Pandemic. However, considering that the economy took a battering, as did retail, raw material supply (most of it imported) was severely disrupted, with shipping costs dramatically increasing, persistent load shedding, together with the July riots/insurrection, the figure of 51,119,332 pairs could be viewed as good.
Needless to say the low CPI figure of 3.3% (annual average) in 2020 rose to 4.6% annual average in 2021, with every indication that it will keep rising, and to top it all unemployment reached a record high in the fourth quarter of 2021.
As Noel put it in his Chairman’s message, 2021 was a “perfect storm”.
The research by B&M Analysts, headed by Prof. Justin Barnes, which was mentioned in last year’s Annual Report, was carried out during 2021 and a draft presentation was made to the SAFLIA MANCOM on the 30th of September for final comment and approval. The finalised research was then presented to the CEOs during the closed session of the AGM held on the 23rd of November. The research has subsequently been presented and shared with all stakeholders and a huge effort needs to be made on how to change things to make our industry more viable and sustainable. This comes with great challenges. This research is no doubt the most important done so far by SAFLIA.
The other big project that we undertook during 2021 was the increase in the minimum duty of R5 to R15 per pair. This too came with great challenges and it is with regret that I report that it is still not finalised.
We continue to work closely with the various Government departments that are key to our industry, such DTIC, ITAC and SARS customs, to name a few. I wish to thank them all for their continued support for our sector but wish to extend a special thanks to Dr. Jaywant Irkhede who is always instrumental in all
Government meetings and has always been very supportive of our industry.
Our relationship with APPICAPS / WORLD FOOTWEAR and ARSUTORIA also continues and once there is some normality in the world again we plan on bringing and offering some exciting projects.
Due to work pressures, Mr. Desmond Chanderlal decided to resign from the MANCOM after serving almost 2 years. I thank him for his time and effort during that period. He was replaced by Mr. Ashley Zwart and his selection was ratified at the 2021 AGM.
Other notable items are covered under the various topics in this report, as there are too many to review here.
As always I would like to thank all our valued members listed on page 8 for their continuous support and confidence in SAFLIA. It is not always easy to please everybody.
A word of thanks to the MANCOM, listed on page 9, for their time and effort to sit on the SAFLIA board and a special word of thanks to Noel as Chairman for the extra time he needs to dedicate to SAFLIA and congratulations on his 10 years in that position. Lastly a big thank you to all the SAFLIA delegates listed on pages 12 & 13 who attend the various NBCLI meetings, so that there is a proper quorum and that they can function adequately and effectively. Your time and efforts are much appreciated. Without the support and input from all of the above mentioned, neither SAFLIA (nor the NBCLI ) would be able to function.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2021 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2021
One can easily write pages on the challenges during 2020, such as further downgrades by the ratings agencies, unemployment reaching new records, etc., etc. We are all suffering from ‘Pandemic fatigue’, so I won’t re-state the obvious or bore you further. Having said that, while it was mostly a year of negatives, key South African footwear manufacturers can say with some pride that they survived, which is testament mostly to their management skills.
2020 was filled with relentless crisis management scenarios, which really gave the true meaning to the phrase. Surviving the year also had a whole new meaning and Zoom and Teams became new buzzwords and the ‘new normal’.
Noel, in his Chairman’s message, has covered key topics rather eloquently, and there is no need for me to elaborate on those.
Despite all that, and in an effort to offer some positivity, we saw the average annual C.P.I. at its lowest levels since 2008. i.e. 3.3% vs 10.4% respectively.
The MBA (manufacturing focus) programme sponsored by the Toyota South Africa Educational Trust and offered to us by TWIMS, was taken up by some of our members and feedback is that it is a brilliant course. We sincerely hope that TWIMS will continue to offer this to us and again a special thank you to Prof. Justin Barnes for this.
SAFLIA continues to work very closely with the various Government departments, such as the DTIC, ITAC, SARS Customs, etc. They play a fundamental supporting role to our industry, which is highly appreciated. I cannot thank them enough.
There are far too many people to thank and list individually. However, special mention must be made of Dr. Jaywant Irkhede of the DTIC for his continual – one could even say continuous!
– and dedicated support to our Industry. He has been instrumental in all key engagements with the various Government sectors such as the NRCS, SARS, ITAC etc. I thank him for his ongoing commitment to our industry.
During the year many of our members were concerned about the ongoing sustainability of our industry, mainly due to low productivity levels, increasing pricing, an outdated and complex Collective Agreement, etc., all of which add up to a rather complex scenario. It was decided at the CEOs’ meeting held during our AGM in November (2020) that a thorough investigation should be made into this.
John Comley kindly volunteered his assistance in this matter. John and I decided that proper research should be made in this regard. As a result, we approached Prof. Barnes of B&M Analysts to do this research, as he is very familiar with our industry with all of its nuances.
This research will hopefully be concluded during 2021. The main challenge will be to bring Labour and the NBCLI on board.
As you can imagine, this is a huge project and probably the biggest one in SAFLIA’s history.
Another big project is how to tackle the scourge of illegal imports. This has been an ongoing problem for SARS, and one which grossly affects our industry. One obvious shortcoming is the very outdated minimum duty of only R5, where many imports are declared under the wrong tariff headings in order to escape the 30% duty. Undervaluation is another problem.
In 2019 we were successful in introducing 15 new tariff sub-headings which has made a huge difference. However, looking at the R5 sub-headings, it is evident that a lot more work needs to be done and we have embarked on this big project. We also hope to conclude this in 2021.
In closing, I would like to thank all our valued members, listed on the Membership page, for their continued support and a special word of thanks to the MANCOM for volunteering their time and effort to sit on the SAFLIA board. Also a big thank you to the SAFLIA delegates listed on the NBCLI SAFLIA Representation page, who volunteer their services, so that the NBCLI can operate at its optimum. Without all those I thanked above, SAFLIA would not be able to function.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2020 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2020
By all accounts 2019 turned out to be a relatively good year, considering the tough economic climate we found ourselves in. As Noel Whitehead mentioned in his Chairman’s message, production outputs were sustained and this must be taken as a positive, as previous forecasts indicated otherwise. Two special highlights come to mind:
- The R-CTFL Master Plan was finalised at a special signing ceremony by all key stakeholders during the SOUTH AFRICA Investment Conference held in Sandton on the 6th November 2019 and hosted by the Honourable President Cyril Ramaphosa. More detail on the Master Plan on page 37.
- A 3-year wage settlement was reached, a first in the history of the Footwear sector. More on this on page 49.
Other more important activities are covered in this report from page 40.
We were also very privileged to have been offered 10 scholarships from Prof. Justin Barnes of the Toyota Wessels Institute for Manufacturing Studies (TWIMS) for an MBA (manufacturing focus) and sponsored by the Toyota South Africa Educational Trust. So, a huge thank you to him.
On a more sombre note, I am always saddened when I hear of factory closures and the closure of Green Cross, a 44-year-old, well established entity, was a shock.
Illegal and cheap imports remain a huge challenge and we continuously engage with the DTIC, SARS and ITAC on these issues.
Another area of concern is the second year of declining exports, especially considering this is a major area of concentration and effort. More details on page 33.
We continue to work very closely with people and organisations (listed on page 55) that are not directly part of our industry. Without the support of these people and organisations our industry would struggle to exist. Some of the folks I would like to thank specifically are:
- The DTI. Dr. Jaywant Irkhede, Dr. Anneline Chetty, Elaine Smith and Thandi Phele.
- ITAC. Carina van Vuuren, Zoleka Xabendlini and Rika Theart.
- IDC. Dineo Skwambane, Lucky Tetsa and Christine Engelbrecht, Nicole Moonsamy.
- SARS Customs. Dr. Theo Colesky, Setshego Molebatsi and Talifhani Tshinavha
- FP & M SETA. Felleng Yende
We also continue to collaborate with other organisations in the broader leather industry, including SAFLEC, with whom we continue our sponsorship of the trends programme run by ARSUTORIA, and with SATEO and ASAM, NULAW and SACTWU, with whom we work closely on most NBCLI-related issues.
A special word of thanks to Andre Compion and Francois Strydom who served on the Mancom with much distinction for 9 and 6 years respectively, and we welcome Desmond Chunderlal, Warren Gedye and Greg Ripley-Evans to the Mancom. More on page 49 (AGM).
I would like to express my thanks and gratitude to all our valued members for their ongoing support, a word of thanks to the Mancom for volunteering their time to attend the important SAFLIA meetings and a special word of thanks to Noel, for making himself available at any time to assist on urgent matters, for keeping a keen eye and support on all of our activities and for his role as treasurer on the various structures within the NBCLI. Also a big thank you to John Comley for his support in government-related issues and in particular with the R-CTFL Master Plan for the betterment of our Industry. Lastly, many thanks to the SAFLIA delegates who volunteer their services as listed on pages 12 and 13. Without all those I thanked above, SAFLIA would not be able to operate.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2019 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2019
Some of you will notice that this is the 75th edition of our Annual Report, and a bumper issue at that – something of which we are justifiably very proud.
Our Chairman has summed things up very well in his message. The detail is in this report, so there is no need for me to review or summarize things further.
One observation that is of concern is that although our local production decreased by 8,747,473 pairs, or 13.3 %, imports grew by 3,333,746 pairs, or 1.6%. Another significant observation is that the average ex-factory price per pair produced in SA is R101.23 and the average price per pair of imports is R56.46. We are busy engaging with the DTI and ITAC to see if any trade remedies need to be, or can be, put in place.
As an industry we are also dependent on people and organisations (listed on page 60) that are not directly part of our industry. Without these people & organisations our industry would be very different. There are some I would like to thank specifically:
- The DTI. Dr. Jaywant Irkhede & Dr. Anneline Chetty
- ITAC. Carina van Vuuren
- IDC. Dineo Skwambane & Lucky Tetsa
- SARS Customs. Dr. Theo Colesky & Talifhani Tshinavha
- BUSA. Dr. Tinashe Kapuya & Olivier Serrão
- FP & M SETA. Felleng Yende
It is also important that we are able to work well with other organisations in the broad leather industry, including SAFLEC, with whom we have set up an ongoing trend programme run by ARSUTORIA, and SHALC, SATEO and ASAM, with whom we consult on issues affecting us all.
Lastly, I would like to express my thanks & gratitude to all our valued members and the Board for their continued support and confidence in SAFLIA.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2018 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2018
In April 2017 and after two consecutive quarters of contracting growth our economy entered into a technical recession, for the first time since 2009. The business confidence index also dropped to around 29 basis points. Then the cabinet reshuffle on the 30th of March 2017 with the firing of the finance minister (Pravin Gordhan) and his deputy minister resulted in a downgrade (by the ratings agencies) to South Africa’s foreign and local currency debt. Unemployment also reached a 14-year high.
As a result, it should come as no surprise to see that for the first time in 6 years our annual production did not grow year on year and actually declined by 1.7%. However, despite this there were manufacturers who showed nice growth. So, all was not gloom and doom.
If anything, it shows our reliance. Of some concern was the increase of 14.9% on imports (some 27 million pairs) all of which was for very cheap footwear.
The issues at the SABS still remain a concern and it appears that interventions are finally taking place. The NFLC saga has still not ended and the new FLIC is still to be set up.
The terms of office on the SAFLIA board for André Compion (Deputy chairman) and Mark Gibbings comes to an end and they have volunteered for re-election.
Most of the other activities of SAFLIA are contained in the various sections in this report and all that remains, is for me to express my thanks to all the members and the Board for their continued support.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2017 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2017
Although 2016 was a tough year it turned out to be a very special and momentous one in that a new record of 66’865’440 pairs of footwear was produced. The previous record of 62’963’500 pairs was produced in 1981. This works out to 3’901’940 pairs more or 6.20%. Quite a noteworthy achievement. This was achieved by an increase in production outputs of 5 major producers. This will surely be pleasing to the DTI who selected our sector (together with a few others) as a potential growth area and replacement for imports and hence the CIP & PIP.
Still of significant concern is the ongoing struggle with the SABS & NRCS but in particular the ineffectiveness of the SABS to carry out all the testing required and timeously, thus placing huge restrictions and challenges on those producers who require these in order to get the necessary LOA’s from the NRCS. If anything, it has made importing similar product easier, as there is no problem in getting tests done overseas. Therefore the incentive and advantage to produce locally is quickly being taken away.
The NFLC has now been replaced by FLIC (Footwear & Leather Industry Cluster). However the structure, registration etc. still needs to be finalised.
At last years AGM Noel Whitehead, Francois Strydom, Mahomed Mahomed and John Comley were re-elected and Jacky Hay was elected to the Mancom Board. At the subsequent Mancom meeting in December, Noel was re-elected as Chairman. They will all serve full terms.
In conclusion and as always I wish to thank, all of our valued members for their continued support, the Board for volunteering their time and efforts and also a special thank you to all the other structures involved in out industry.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2016 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2016
Each year comes with new challenges and I have come to realise that despite our small size, our industry is quite resilient compared to some of the bigger ones. This is thanks to the cooperation of all the structures involved – details of which are contained towards the back of this publication and therefore no need to include in this review.
Of significance were and still remain 2 challenges, being those of the NFLC and the SABS. It was decided to dissolve the NFLC under the current format and a new structure is being worked on, so that its mandate can be effectively and properly implemented. Our industry was not getting the benefit which was intended.
With regards to the SABS, an up-gradation programme is currently being drafted, in order to address the shortcomings with regards to some testing required and the unavailability of partial testing. Escalating costs of testing are of great concern and are also being addressed. I am confident that these will be resolved in the not too distant future. The steep decline over the years in State tenders is also of great concern.
The terms off office on the SAFLIA Board for Noel Whithead (Chairman), Francois Strydom, Mahomed Mahomed and John Comley (co-opted) are up for re-election. Sanjay Pattundeen who has served on the Board for many many years, some of which were as Chairman & Deputy Chairman has resigned. On behalf of our members and the Board, I extend a special thank you for his efforts and valued contribution. As a result, there are vacancies on our Board and it was decided to try and fill it to it’s capacity of 9 members. Nomination forms were sent to all members.
Lastly and most importantly, I wish to thank all our valued members and the Board for their continued and growing support.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
2015 Review
EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS REVIEW, 2015
I am just going to touch on a few significant and noteworthy events that happened during this period, as most other important issues are contained in the message from Noel Whitehead our Chairman and at the end of this report under the various headings of Multi and Bi-lateral Agreements, labour affairs, membership etc. So it’s needless to repeat what has already been said.
One of the biggest changes was the decision for SAFLIA and SAFLEC to go their own ways mainly through the Dti’s initiation so that “the Export Promotion Agencies (E.P.A’s) or Export Councils are independent and can fully concentrate on the task at hand”. This gave us the opportunity of moving into smaller more cost effective premises and also to establish a special toll free number 0800SAFLIA.
Last year three of our Management Committees (Mancom) terms of office had come to an end. They were Sanjay Pattundeen, Mark Gibbings and Andre Compion, our Vice Chairman. Fortunately all three made themselves available for re-election and this was unopposed. John Comley was again co-opted.
At the subsequent Mancom meeting in November, Noel Whitehead and Andre Compion were re-elected as Chairman and Vice-Chairman respectively.
In closing I wish to extend a sincere thank you to our valued members for their continued support.
I’m really looking forward to the next chapter as there are some exciting projects and programs to come.
Jirka Vymětal
Executive Director
SAFLIA is formally registered with the Department of Labour as a national employer organisation in terms of the Labour Relations Act. The Constitution makes provision for three separate sections, viz. Footwear Manufacturing Section, Supplier Section and the Tanning Section.
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