In the corresponding period of ****, imports totalled **,***.* million rand. South Africa remains structurally dependent on imported textiles and apparel, sourcing heavily from low-cost Asian supply chains, particularly China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam, due to limited cost competitiveness, scale constraints, ageing machinery, and persistent manufacturing bottlenecks in its domestic textile and apparel industry.
On a monthly basis, the imports gained *.* per cent to *,***.* million rand (~$***.** million) in May **** from *,***.* million rand in April ****.
Meanwhile, exports of textiles and related articles remained almost steady at **,***.* million rand (~$***.** million) in the first five months of ****, against **,***.* million rand, a year earlier.
During ****, the country’s imports of textiles and textile articles inched up *.* per cent to **,***.* million rand (~$*.*** billion), but exports grew *.* per cent to **,***.* million rand (~$*.*** billion) in ****. Its imports were up ** per cent to **,***.* million rand (~$*.*** billion) in **** from **,***.* million rand (~$*.*** billion) in ****.
