Centre for Development and Enterprise executive director Ann Bernstein said the closure of clothing factories in Newcastle, in KwaZulu-Natal, reflected the constraints of existing labour legislation on job creation in South Africa.

The Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union said in the past week many clothing factories in Newcastle were exposed for violating workers’ human and labour rights.

“The Bargaining Council is enforcing compliance and adding to the already high unemployment rate in Newcastle,” Bernstein said.

She called for a more labour-intensive growth strategy as the country’s labour laws made it too expensive to employ large numbers of unskilled people.

Bernstein said that factories provided the opportunity for unskilled people to take a step into the modern economy and be exposed to opportunities to develop skills, which could better the lives of individuals over time.

She said South Africa’s position of not wanting to accept low wages represented a “pretense”, as there was no alternative to solve the unemployment challenge.

Bernstein called for improvement in training, education and strong leadership.