Competition to make the cut with school uniforms
WHEN a local school in Sebokeng, south of Joburg, introduced new uniforms for the new year, an emerging uniform supplier in the township saw an opportunity to acquire new clients for his business and a chance to incentivise poor parents with low prices.
Thabang Thapedi runs a company called Basadi Kopanang Sewing Corporation with his mother. They have been operating for nine years and have employed 10 locals.
Armed with a proposal, Thapedi approached the principal in a bid to persuade him to afford his business an opportunity to supply uniforms at half the price of big retailers.
“Our uniforms are affordable because there is no middleman. We buy material and make the uniforms ourselves from scratch right here in our home premises. We don’t charge consumers any additional fees,” he said.
According to Thapedi, initially the principal was ecstatic at the proposal and promised to consult the school governing body.
However, after several weeks their hopes were dashed when the principal allegedly demanded a bribe before he would afford them an opportunity to supply the school with uniforms.
“He said I must put something on the table. I don’t know which table, his table or the school’s table?
“Bribery and corruption is a challenge in this business. You don’t get access to opportunities even if you qualify and have the capacity to produce quality uniforms,” said Thapedi.
His story comes against a backdrop of debates around unfair competition and exorbitant pricing of school uniforms.
Thapedi believes that many small suppliers in the uniform industry are denied access to opportunities because of corruption.
Last year an inquiry into the supply of school uniforms revealed that various school had entered into exclusive supply deals with stockists, a practice which the competition commission considered uncompetitive.
Thapedi has also queried why the school opted to procure school uniform from a Pakistani-owned dealership in the township.
“Government always talks about empowering township businesses, but in reality we remain disadvantaged. I am not entitled to get anything, but we should have been a natural choice. I would have thought the school would opt to take advantage of our prices.”
Despite being snubbed by the school, some parents have decided to buy uniforms directly from Thapedi’s workshop.
“Parents are happy about the quality of our products, but the school encourages them to buy elsewhere.”
The Saturday Star visited Thapedi’s workshop this week. A school tunic sells for about R120 while the normal market price is about R220. A shirt costs R25 to R30 while the normal market price is about R40 to R50.
“Much as we are running a business, we also want to ensure that all parents can afford it,” he said.
Thapedi’s mother, Jubilee, said that over the years they had struggled to get access to the market despite promises from several schools.
“It’s tough for us as a small business. Schools prefer bigger retailers. We produce uniforms of the same quality and we are accessible to the community because we are based where the communities are.”
Spokesperson for the Competition Commission Sipho Ngwenya has urged schools to adhere to school uniform guidelines to curb anti-competitive behaviour .
Ngwema said the commission had held talks with various role-players, including school governing bodies and the government to observe school uniform guidelines.
The Saturday Star approached a variety of outlets that sell uniforms in the Johannesburg CBD which mostly refused to explain how they justified their pricing .
However, Ashraf Naidoo, who runs a similar business in the Joburg CBD, shed some light. He said the uniforms were pricey because of the logistics involved in places sourcing the stock.
“We sell uniform from various schools. We buy from suppliers across the country. Mostly I buy from Durban. Transportation is expensive, we run a business and we also have to make a profit.”