Keynote address by Minister Parks Tau, at the Proudly SA eCommerce Platform Launch Sandton, Johannesburg
1 July 2025
CEO of Proudly SA,
Representatives from Business and Government,
Colleagues and Partners,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Morning!
Introduction
It is a great honour to speak with you today as we launch two critical e-commerce platforms which will enhance South Africa’s economic prosperity.
At the core of our industrialisation agenda lies a straightforward truth: we must build local, buy local, and support local. Localisation is not just a policy choice, it is a national imperative for job creation, industrial development, and economic sovereignty.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Localisation as a Strategic Pillar of Industrialisation
South Africa’s industrial structure continues to face pressures from import dependency and global volatility. In 2023, South Africa recorded a trade deficit in manufactured goods exceeding R150 billion, a clear indication of our over-reliance on imported finished products.
At the same time, our unemployment rate remains stubbornly high — sitting at 32.9% in Q1 2024, with youth unemployment at a staggering 45.5%. These numbers make it clear that we cannot afford to outsource production, jobs, and value creation.
That is why the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) has acknowledged localisation as a key part of any industrial strategy. We are pursuing targeted interventions across sectors including agro-processing, automotive, clothing and textiles, pharmaceuticals, and renewable energy components.
As part of this drive, the dtic continues to support Proudly South African and the national Buy Local campaign. Since its inception, Proudly SA has registered over 2,000-member companies, representing businesses that meet strict local content and quality standards.
Through campaigns like “Buy Local to Create Jobs”, the movement is working to shift consumer choices and institutional procurement behaviours. Research by Proudly SA indicates that if every household redirected just 10% of their annual spend to local goods, it could create up to 120,000 new jobs.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Harnessing Digital Innovation for Market Access
While advocating for local purchasing, we must ensure that South African-made products are visible, accessible, and easy to procure, both locally and internationally.
After our successful virtual pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, we realised that South Africa lacked a centralised digital marketplace to showcase and connect buyers with locally made goods.
the dtic responded by commissioning the development of a national online store, led by Proudly SA, designed to serve as a trusted one-stop-shop for consumers and businesses to access South African products.
The first phase focused on B2C (business-to-consumer) functionality, and the platform now includes bulk and wholesale purchasing capabilities. To date, over 500 verified South African suppliers have been onboarded, with thousands of products available across categories.
The next major development is the introduction of export functionality. This will allow South African manufacturers , especially MSMEs, to access opportunities presented by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a market with a projected GDP of $3.4 trillion and access to 1.4 billion consumers.
South Africa’s eCommerce market itself is also growing, expected to reach R225 billion by 2025, with increased internet penetration and digital payment infrastructure expanding rapidly. It is critical that local producers benefit from this growth, and do not get left behind.
By supporting local businesses to enter digital marketplaces, we’re not just growing the economy, we’re digitally enabling industrialisation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Inclusive Procurement for Broad-Based Economic Empowerment
Beyond transactional platforms, we must also create tools that facilitate inclusive and transformative procurement.
The launch of the Market Access Platform (MAP) represents a breakthrough in this regard. This is a non-transactional B2B platform, designed to help procurement officials in both public and private sectors identify verified local suppliers, including designated groups.
In South Africa, only about 20% of public procurement spending reaches MSMEs, and even less goes to youth, women, or disability-owned businesses. This must change.
MAP directly supports this transformation. It will allow procurement teams to filter suppliers by sector, ownership profile, compliance status, and local content thresholds, making it easier to meet targets for localisation and transformation.
Through MAP, large buyers can connect with:
• Black-owned businesses
• Women-owned enterprises
• Youth-led startups
• Businesses owned by persons with disabilities and military veterans
This is not just about compliance. It is about building an inclusive industrial base that reflects the full potential of South Africa’s human capital.
If every large institution — public or private — made a 10% shift toward these groups, it would unleash billions of rands in procurement value into the hands of those who have historically been excluded.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Conclusion
We are at a critical juncture. Our localisation strategy is more than a set of targets, but rather, it is a commitment to rebuild the productive economy, reduce inequality, and empower South African producers.
Through platforms like the national online store and MAP, we are removing friction, creating access, and bridging the gap between policy intent and market reality.
But we cannot do it alone.
We need every South African consumer, buyer, CEO, and policymaker to act. Buy local. Source local. Empower local.
Thank you.
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