The Young Communist League of South Africa [uFasimba] supports the accord that was singed by the state, Business and the labour movement to increase local procurement by 75%. As the YCL we strongly feel that this is a step in the right direction in relation to curbing job losses and the eradication of abject poverty.

We are of the view that this milestone- if effectively implemented - will improve competitiveness, skills development and economic development and thereby contributing towards achieving the goal of 5-million jobs by 2020 as planned by the New Growth Path Local Procurement Accord.

This accord is signed just as we have emerged from our very successful Jobs for Youth Summit. The summit noted and resolved that in order to prevent job losses and to create employment we have to campaign for local procurement of almost all products and services. The importing of many products has a severe affect on both our local economy and job losses. Delegates made a clarion call to government to strengthen South African industrialization and ensure that local businesses flourish and contribute to local economic development.

Wereiterate our position that youth co-operatives should be considered as vehicles of manufacturing local goods and procurement of goods and services so as to promote youth activism in the economy and decrease in youth unemployment which currently stands at 3.2 million. .

This further strengthens our call against the merger between Walmart and Mass Mart since such a move would further deepen the scourge of unemployment and the collapse of the South African manufacturing sector.

While noting that the signing of this Local Procurement Accord would not yield required result without close monitoring by relevant stakeholders, we further call upon the progressive South African labour movement to ensure that all affected companies consistently comply with the stipulations of the Accord.