The government, through the Department of Trade and Industry, has pledged to support automakers
that manufacture locally. DTI Minister Rob
Davies said his department is “looking to looking to designate specific
vehicles, starting with buses, for procurement
by state agencies to raise domestic production and employment.”
The SA motor industry is minute compared to the world size,
but it does contribute about 6% to our Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) and employs over 90 000 people. Of these, almost all in the lower levels are
black, while middle and upper management remains steadfast in its whiteness. Even Deputy President Motlanthe acknowledged as
much during a speech he delivered at the opening of Volkswagen’s Midrand parts
and distribution event last year.
We hope government’s pledge will be met by the creation of
more jobs in the industry and the support of peripheral industries such as our media, rather than merely increasing sales and lining up the
pockets of these companies’ foreign
owners.
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