Profiles in leadership
Proudly SA CEO Eustace Mashimbye says public servants can contribute to the economy by being more deliberate in their spending
By supporting South African products and services, public servants can contribute to the country's economic growth.
This is according to Proudly South African (Proudly SA) Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) Eustace Mashimbye. Proudly SA is the country's only official buy local campaign. It serves the interests of all local manufacturers and producers in the country.
Mashimbye says buying locally manufactured products will ensure that the money spent by citizens stays in the country.
“Public servants must remember that they are consumers and they benefit from the tax base. The conversations that happen between the Minister of Finance and unions are about not having enough resources and trying to find ways to grow the tax base so that enough money can be generated to deliver services to the citizens of South Africa.
“We can only grow the tax base by making sure that the money stays in the country and that the disposal income spent by South Africans contributes to the growth of the economy.”
He adds that public servants are direct beneficiaries of the tax base and they should not spend most of their disposable income on products that come from outside South Africa's borders because that means they will be supporting jobs outside the country instead of local businesses.
Buying locally manufactured products will also assist the country to realise its dream of restoring and growing the economy, safeguarding jobs and creating more jobs for those who are unemployed.
Mashimbye says when people buy a product or use a service that is imported when a local alternative exists, they are in fact jeopardising local jobs.
Everyone, including public servants, has a role to play in turning the economy around, he stresses.
Mashimbye has worked for Proudly SA for 13 years, having started as the institution's chief financial officer. He also served as chief operations officer and acted as the CEO before he was permanently appointed nearly four years ago.
He previously worked for the former Department of Trade and Industry, Telkom and Edcon.
As the CEO, he is the accounting officer responsible for organisational management and for driving Proudly SA's strategy.
commits to procuring local products, where possible. Retailers and hotels that buy furniture are among those that have committed to buying locally manufactured products. Mashimbye says the private sector now knows that local products can be sourced through the Proudly SA database.
Tender monitoring system
– Proudly SA monitors the awarding of government tenders to ensure that local businesses are given preference over businesses from abroad, where possible. It also tracks that suppliers who win tenders first try and source products and services locally. Proudly SA also uses this platform to share tenders put out by various government spheres with local businesses. Mashimbye encourages local manufacturers and entrepreneurs to consider establishing partnerships with strategic buyers.“This will enable your business to expand, whether it is through giving you more exposure, linking you with more opportunities or both of you creating a product or initiative that can benefit you in the long run.”
Proudly SA continues to form partnerships with industry bodies, associations and corporates that fund or support initiatives that benefit local manufacturers and entrepreneurs.
Despite the successes that Proudly SA has achieved over the years, Mashimbye says funding remains one of the organisation's major challenges.
“We do not have enough money to educate consumers. We need to tell every single South African repeatedly that they have to choose locally made products in order to help the country's economy grow.”
To deal with this challenge, Proudly SA is formulating partnerships with organisations that can help spread the buy local message.
To buy locally manufactured products online, public servants can visit www.rsamade.co.za or www.proudlysa.co.za