Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) CEO Kaizer Nyatsumba says government should consider additional measures to protect local metals and engineering manufacturers from subsidised imports.
The influx of cheaper imports, he noted in a statement on Monday, had eroded the competitiveness of local businesses, bringing key subsectors within manufacturing to the brink of collapse.
“The sector has not fully recovered from the 2008 global financial crisis and circumstances in the sector have deteriorated. We need an urgent intervention to protect the sector and create jobs,” he said.
The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers Index declined by 3.8 points to 42.9 in July, a level last seen in the second half of 2009.
All the major subindices also declined.