DStv fest, Proudly South African partnership creates jobs

IT MIGHT have “international” in its name, but the DStv Delicious International Food & Music Festival has always been proudly South African.

In its fourth year, the festival will feature more local artists, both established and upcoming.

“When we approached Proudly South African earlier this year to become partners, they automatically assumed that our festival was an international model that had been imported into South Africa,” festival director Lloyd Cornwall, said.

He said they started talking to the brand after Proudly South African realised the festival had its roots firmly in South Africa.

This is the first time an event has become a member company of the Proudly South African buy local campaign.

“In addition to the event providing two days of family entertainment, the business end of the festival is what impressed us as a campaign,” Proudly South African chief executive Eustace Mashimbye said.

For this year’s edition of DStv Delicious, the organisers have worked their way through Proudly South African’s database of members to procure as much as they can from those companies that are part of and support the buy local campaign.

“The event represents millions of rand in local procurement and is a significant creator of jobs both directly and indirectly which is exactly the key message we preach – buy local to create jobs.

“The DStv Delicious Festival team is living this message,” Mashimbye said.

Everything from security services, printers, toilet roll suppliers and travel agents putting together festival packages, are 100% local.

In addition to this, the festival will generate revenue for local hotels, guest houses and transport companies.

Forty percent of the gourmet market traders are local SMMEs, who will benefit from the exposure to 40 000 visitors, whose average spend is R2 000.

“The job creation figures are also staggering,” Mashimbye said.

“When we looked at last year’s numbers, we saw that there were 900 crew members working for 10 days, with an additional 3 500 workers taken on for the duration of the festival.

“We believe that this event has an impact on SMMEs, the Gauteng economy and jobs that go far beyond the two days that the general public experiences.

“It is a perfect fit with our campaign and we look forward to working with the DStv Delicious team this year and beyond.”

People attending the festival can expect different foods, international and local acts, a kids zone and more.

Proudly South African will also have a dedicated food village at the festival at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit on October 7 and 8.

The festival will generate revnue for local hotels, guest houses