The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ms Alexandra Abrahams has expressed satisfaction at seeing the tangible outcomes of the funding from the department. Abrahams was visiting the Décor Design and Upholstery, a black-owned expansion project located at the N1 Industrial Park in Elsies River, Cape Town.
The project is engaged in furniture manufacturing, specifically soft seating furniture and office chairs. The company is a beneficiary of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition’s (the dtic) Agro-Processing Support Scheme (APSS) that aims to stimulate investment in South African agro-processing and beneficiation enterprises. The scheme offers a 20% to a 30% cost-sharing grant to a maximum of R20 million over a two-year investment period.
“We are impressed with the progress being made by Décor Design and Upholstery. We are particularly pleased to see the operations in action and how the machinery, acquired through the dtic funding is being utilised. The machinery gave them the ability to produce components in-house,” said Abrahams.
“We want to ensure that we work alongside you, jointly identifying solutions to the current challenges facing the furniture industry. This is the core objective of the Furniture Master Plan, which is to bring together social partners, government, the private sector, and labour, to collaboratively address everyday challenges facing the industry,” said Abrahams.
According to Abrahams, the visit was insightful and engaging.
“It is a small factory, but you can see the number of people that they have employed. So we want to deploy our trade tools also to protect the industry from imports,” pledged Abrahams.
Furthermore, she emphasised the value of government–business collaboration, noting that strong partnerships between the two can drive meaningful economic impact. The intended outcomes of the visit included scaling businesses, creating more employment opportunities, and upskilling workers once procurement and funding barriers are addressed.
“The furniture industry is one of the industries that is highly labour-intensive, and we want to see the creation of more employment opportunities for young people,” stated Abrahams.
In addition, Abrahams said the industry currently has a negative trade balance, and the aim is to shift this towards a more positive position. This will help improve local competitiveness and, more importantly, strengthen domestic manufacturing capacity.
She stressed that the furniture industry plays a pivotal role in advancing economic growth, industrialisation, and creating jobs. As a significant contributor to the country’s manufacturing sector, which accounts for 0.95% of manufacturing Gross Domestic Product and 1.6% of manufacturing employment, the dtic supports and promotes the industry’s role in boosting trade, small businesses, and positioning South Africa as a globally competitive market for both furniture manufacturing and design.
The visit precedes the annual Furniture Design Competition Awards ceremony to be held in partnership with industry stakeholders including the South African Furniture Initiative, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), and Proudly South African in Midrand, Gauteng tomorrow Friday, 27 March 2026.
“The Furniture Design Competition showcases the creativity of our students and professionals, introduces new products to the market, and elevates South African furniture on the global stage. The theme of this year’s competition, Using Invasive Wood Species, is a powerful example of how design can provide innovative solutions to national challenges while promoting sustainability,” says Abrahams.
The Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ms Alexandra Abrahams with the Managing Director of Décor Design and Upholstery during the sight visit in Cape Town.
For media enquiries and interview requests:
Bongani Lukhele – Director: Media Relations
Tel: (012) 394 1643
Mobile: 079 5083 457
WhatsApp: 074 2998 512
E-mail: BLukhele@thedtic.gov.za
Issued by: The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic)
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