Newsletter No. 04                                                               8 February 2019

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Sactwu Condemns Fraudulent Activities Of Former Worker Health Project Ceo

The COSATU-affiliated Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union (SACTWU) has taken note of recent media reports about the arrest and court appearances of Miss Colleen Khumalo and an associate of hers, relating to allegations of misappropriation of an estimated R50m in donor funds meant for the SACTWU Worker Health Project and other South African NGO’s.

Ms Khumalo is a previous CEO of the SACTWU Worker Health Project (SWHP).

We welcome the Hawks’ investigation in this regard, and will fully support it. We are intolerant of donor funds being used for anything else other than what it was intended for.

We condemn the alleged corruption of Miss Khumalo and others involved in this matter, and insist that the law must take its full course. If the allegations are proven to be true and they are found guilty, they must rot in jail for a long time.

We clarify that the alleged misappropriated funds does not involve a single cent of SACTWU monies directly, or any funds received from our members’ subscriptions, or any employer levy contributions to the SWHP.

We further clarify that this matter was fully reported to the SACTWU constitutional structures during the course of last year.

Issued by Andre Kriel General Secretary SACTWU If any further comment is required, kindly contact SACTWU Deputy General Secretary Chris Gina, on 031 3011351 or cell number 082 940 9456.

Why was 2018 the year of eco-friendly fashion?

The driver of a new textile paradigm, 2018 was a year marked by a collective awareness in the ready-to-wear industry. Brands, customers and young designers alike all championed a more environmentally friendly view of clothes, a far cry for textile production verging on consumerist suffocation.

Consumers in search of responsible ready-to-wear

The figures cannot be denied. According to the e-commerce site Lyst’s Fashion Report, searches for organic cotton or vegan leather clothing rose by 47% in 2018. In parallel, the number of Instagram posts tagged with the #sustainablefashion hashtag was close to three million. An unquestionable increase, revealing the environmental concerns of a consumer in search of responsible consumption.

Compulsive shopping is out: fashionistas, who are now informed about the devastating effects of fast fashion, are looking for an eco-friendly, green wardrobe that is harmful neither to the planet nor to those who live on it. Designers are eagerly responding to this demand, starting with popular labels such as Vêtements and Marine Serre.

Pioneering Fashion Labels

The first, led by Demna Gvasalia, offered an installation in the window display of Harrods department store in early 2018: a pile of more or less worn clothes, materialising the sickening waste generated by the ready-to-wear industry each year. His solution to the problem? “For brands to have their supply meet their demand,” explains the Georgian designer, “and avoid accumulating unsold stock”. For her part, the LVMH prize-winning Frenchwoman Marine Serre states that she does not want to “contribute to global pollution” and primarily uses recycled fabrics and materials to create her designs, which she claims are 100% eco-friendly. Which may make us lose sight of the luxury behemoths who have often ignored or even intensified the ecological impact of their business model.

In July, Burberry was accused of having destroyed almost 90 million dollars’ worth of unsold clothing over the past five years, provoking disappointment and controversy across the fashion sphere. Called out, the major houses must now imaginatively compete to attest to a certain green credibility and ensure their long-term longevity. Promostyl

New factory for school uniforms set up in Kenya’s Kitui

Kitui County Textile Centre (Kicotec), a new garment factory, has been established in Syongila market,  about 4 km from Kitui town along the Kitui-Nairobi highway in Kenya. The factory is modelled on the Export Processing Zone (EPZ) garment industrial unit, where it will run 24 hours on different working shifts employing more than 600 young people.

The new Sh20 million ($0.2 million) factory has received 74,100 garment orders so far. The aim of establishing the factory was not only to create hundreds of direct and indirect jobs, but also to retain the millions of shillings that parents in the county use to buy school uniforms from manufacturers in Nairobi and other counties, Kenyan news agency said quoting Kitui county Governor Charity Ngilu.

Around 145 electric sewing machines have been installed together with other embroidery and pressing machinery in the factory to ensure the garments meet the highest quality standards. “With estimated 486,000 students in both primary and secondary schools in the county, the factory has a ready market, and is expected to stimulate the local economy,” said Ngilu.

Ethiopia’s Adama Industrial Park starts exports

Ethiopia’s Adama Industrial park has started exporting its products, with Chinese textile firm Antex Group turning the first in the park to start exporting its swimwear to Europe. Antex and another firm have began operations, while three others will do soon, according to Lelise Neme, chief executive officer of the Industrial Park Development Corporation (IPDC).

The park, located 93 kilometres southeast of Addis Ababa in the Oromia region, was officially inaugurated last October.

Antex, which is expected to generate $100,000 from its first export consignment from the park to Europe, has created jobs for 1,500, according to group chairman Qian Anhua. The number is expected to reach 10,000 when the company goes fully operational.

The firm has raised its capital $to 50 million from $5 million, according to a report in an Ethiopian daily.

The first phase of the park built at a cost of $147 million covering 102 hectares was commissioned by the IPDC.

Did you know……..

Men wore high heels to ride horses up until 1740. It was thought that the heels helped them to ride better.

Using just one bale of cotton, around 200 jeans can be made. No wonder you can find jeans everywhere!