Statement by the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management, Alderman James Vos

To get Cape Town’s economy running at full speed again, it is critical that we get as many people vaccinated as possible.

This is why I was so excited to hand over some of the City’s new ‘jabs for jobs’ selfie frames at Pep Clothing (Pepclo) in Parow.

The retail giant – which is South Africa’s largest clothing manufacturer under one roof – has jabbed nearly 500 of its 1 600 staff at its onsite and offsite vaccination sites.

This is a huge achievement because it shows the world that the stakeholders in one of Cape Town’s most significant industries is playing their part to keep their staff and customers safe.

In fact, reaching population immunity (where most of the country is vaccinated) would be good for the economy as it reduces the likelihood of further hard lockdowns, a study by Discovery Health’s Health Policy Unit, Business 4 SA and PwC has found.

As a member of the Cape Clothing and Textile Cluster, Pepclo has already shown its commitment to helping the industry reach its pre-pandemic growth trajectory.

Between 2014 and 2015, exports grew by 12,6%, driven by strong increases in exports to Namibia (Cape Town’s largest export market for clothing and textile products). Exports to the United States, under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), has increased by 53,2%, making it the fastest-growing of Cape Town’s top export markets (Wesgro, 2016).

This is why I am urging other clothing and textile sector players and businesses in other industries to follow Pepclo’s lead in making the vaccines as accessible as possible to their employees.

These jabs are the most powerful shot in our fight against Covid-19, revitalising the economy and building back better.

Source: City Of Cape Town